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Mbhashe River is one of the major rivers in the Eastern Cape Province,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. It flows in a southeastern direction and has a catchment area of 6,030 km. The river drains into the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
through an
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
located near the
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...
at Bashee, south of Mhlanganisweni. After passing under national road N2, the Mbhashe River encounters southwest of
Elliotdale Elliotdale ( xh, Xhora) is a town in Amatole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town lies 50 km south of Mthatha and 22 km south-east of Mqanduli. It is named after Sir Henry Elliot, Chief Magistrat ...
and north-east of Dutywa the more rugged terrain of the Wild Coast and suddenly enters into a 64 km long series of violent twists and turns known as the
Collywobbles Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea and gastro, is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of energy, and dehydr ...
before continuing more sedately towards the Indian Ocean. The Mbhashe river's main tributaries are the Xuka River,
Mgwali River The Mgwali River
at Geonames.org (cc-by)]; post updated 2012-01-18
is a
Dutywa River Dutywa (formerly Idutywa) is a town in Mbashe Local Municipality, Eastern Cape province, South Africa, that was founded in 1858 as a military fort after a dispute between a Natal Colony raiding party and its local people.Mnyolo River. Presently this river is part of the
Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area Mzimvubu to Keiskamma WMA, or Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area (coded: 12), includes the following major rivers: the Swane River, Mntafufu River, Mzimvubu River, Mngazi River, Mthatha River, Xora River, Mbashe River, Nqabara River, ...
.


History

In 1554 Portuguese ship São Bento ran aground at the mouth of the Mbhashe River. The ordeal of 322 of its survivors, who walked from there to Lourenço Marques, presently Maputo, has been recorded. Mvezo is a village on the banks of the Mbhashe River, where
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
was born in 1918.


Ecology

Some of the fishes caught in its waters are '' Labeobarbus aeneus'', '' Barbus pallidus'', '' Barbus anoplus'', '' Myxus capensis'', ''
Anguilla marmorata The giant mottled eel (''Anguilla marmorata''), also known as the marbled eel, is a species of tropical anguillid eel that is found in the Indo-Pacific and adjacent freshwater habitats. Description Similar to other anguillids, the giant mottled ...
'' and '' Anguilla mossambica''. ''Labeobarbus aeneus'' is an
invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
, now widely present in the river system.Mbhashe River System
/ref>


See also

* List of rivers of South Africa *
List of estuaries of South Africa This is a list of estuaries in South Africa. The list is in order from East (border with Mozambique) to the West (border with Namibia). The South African coastline stretches for some 3000 km from Kosi Bay near the Mozambique border in the ...


References


External links


Mbashe Key AreaSouth African Tourism - Mbashe River PictureSA Birding - Cwebe and Dwesa Nature ReservesA History of the Qwathi
Rivers of the Eastern Cape {{SouthAfrica-river-stub