The Umgeni River or Mgeni River ( zu, uMngeni) is a river in KwaZulu-Natal,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It rises in the "Dargle" in the KZN Midlands, and its mouth is at

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, some distance north of Durban's natural harbour. The name is taken to mean "the river of entrance" in Zulu, though other meanings have been proposed. The river is approximately long with a catchment area of . The

Howick Falls Howick Falls is a waterfall in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The waterfall is approximately 95 m in height (310 feet) and lies on the Umgeni River. The Zulu people called the falls ''KwaNogqaza'', which means "Place of the ...

are some famous waterfalls on the Mngeni.

Tributaries

A noteworthy tributary is the

Msunduzi River The Msunduzi River is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is also known by its anglicised name, the ''Dusi River''. The original name, ''Msunduzi'', is isiZulu. The Msunduzi is a tributary of the Mngeni River. In Pietermaritzburg The ...

, which joins it between Nagle and Inanda dams. Higher up its course, the Msunduzi (or 'Dusi' for short) passes through the KwaZulu-Natal capital Pietermaritzburg. A famous downriver race, the

Dusi Canoe Marathon The Dusi Canoe Marathon is a marathon canoe race held over three days between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, South Africa. It is run along the Msunduzi and Mgeni Rivers over a total distance of . The race attracts between 1600 and 2000 paddlers ...

takes place between the capital and Durban, attracting thousands of canoeists for the three-day event held in January every year. A small tributary that has an impact exceeding its size and length is the Lions River which joins the Umgeni about 4 kilometers upstream of Midmar Dam (near Lidgetton). Its significance lies in the fact that it is a part of a water transfer scheme between the Mooi River (Spring Grove Dam) and the Umgeni. A smaller tributary close to its mouth is the Palmiet River, which should not be confused with the Palmiet River in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

Dams

Presently the Umgeni is part of the

Mvoti to Umzimkulu Water Management Area Mvoti to Umzimkulu WMA, or Mvoti to Umzimkulu Water Management Area (coded: 11), Includes the following major rivers: the Mvoti River, uThongathi River, Mdloti River, Ohlanga River, Mngeni River, Sterkspruit River, Lovu River, Mkomazi River, M ...

. There are four large dams in its catchment basin: * Albert Falls Dam *

Inanda Dam Inanda Dam is an earth-fill type dam located on the Mgeni River, near Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was established in 1989 and its primary purpose is to serve for domestic and industrial use. Inanda Dam Wall.JPG, Inanda Dam Wall Ina ...

Midmar Dam Midmar Dam is a combined gravity & earth-fill type dam and recreation area located near Howick and Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Boating, swimming, waterskiing, picnicking, and fishing are popular pastimes at Midmar Dam. Each year, the Midma ...

Nagle Dam Nagle Dam is a mass concrete type dam located on the Mgeni River, near Cato Ridge, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.It was established in 1950 and serves mainly for municipal and industrial purposes. The hazard potential of the dam has been ranked high ...

Ecology

The Scaly Yellowfish (''Labeobarbus natalensis'') is a fish found in the Umgeni River System as well as in the

Umzimkhulu Umzimkhulu is a town in Harry Gwala District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The town lies 243 km north-east of Mthatha and 18 km south-west of Ixopo. It developed from a trading-post and was laid out in 188 ...

, Thukela, Umkhomazi and the Umfolozi. It is a common

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

species in KwaZulu-Natal Province and it lives in different habitats between the

Drakensberg The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlambha, Sotho: Maluti) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – within t ...

foothills and the coastal lowlands.

History

It is assumed that Vasco da Gama replenished his fleet's water supply at the Umgeni mouth on Christmas Day, 1497, and so named the region

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

for Christmas. The river then acquired the name "River of Natal". 130 years later the Umgeni was crossed by

Nathaniel Isaacs Nathaniel Isaacs (1808–1872) was an English adventurer who played a part in the history of Natal, South Africa. He wrote a book spread over two volumes (whose accuracy is now disputed) called ''Travels and Adventures in Eastern Africa''. This ...

on his way to visit

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...

References

External links