Mzimvubu River or Umzimvubu River is one of the most important rivers in
South Africa. It is located in the
Eastern Cape Province.
Course
The river has its source in the northern region of the Eastern Cape, in the area of
Matatiele and
Mount Fletcher near the
Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...
border. The Mzimvubu flows with twists and turns generally in a southeastern direction and flows into the
Indian Ocean through an impressive gorge known as the "Gates of St John" into an
estuary located at
Port St. Johns
Port St. Johns (or Port Saint Johns) is a town of about 6,500 people on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated at the mouth of the Umzimvubu River, northeast of East London and east of Mthatha. Port St. Jo ...
. It is approximately 400 km long with a catchment area of 19,853 km².
Although it is one of South Africa's major rivers, the Mzimvubu and its basin are largely undeveloped. 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 1635
Portuguese ship 'Nossa Senhora de Belem' ran aground at the mouth of the Mzimvubu River.
The Mzimvubu River divides
Pondoland into an Eastern and Western Pondoland. Formerly the river mouth was used as a harbor, but this activity was abandoned in the 1940s when the estuary became too shallow for large vessels owing to
siltation and the fact that the entrance is sometimes obstructed by sand. Presently the estuary is river is navigable only for small craft for about 10 km upriver.
[van der Merwe, E. and Costello, K. ''Port St. Johns, "Paradise in Pondoland" (2nd edition)''.]
Tributaries
The main tributaries of the Mzimvubu River are the
Tsitsa River
The Tsitsa River ( af, Tsitsarivier; xh, iTsitsa) is a river in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. It is a tributary of the Mzimvubu River and belongs to the Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area.
Course
The Tsitsa rises in the Drak ...
, the
Thina River (Tina), the
Kinira River and the
Mzintlava River.
Ecology
Some of the fishes caught in its waters are
Oncorhynchus mykiss, an
introduced species,
Barbus anoplus and
Anguilla mossambica; others, such as
Micropterus salmoides and
Cyprinus carpio, are
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 ...
.
FROC - Reference frequency of occurrence of fish species in South Africa
/ref>
See also
* List of rivers of South Africa
* List of estuaries of South Africa
* Port St. Johns
Port St. Johns (or Port Saint Johns) is a town of about 6,500 people on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated at the mouth of the Umzimvubu River, northeast of East London and east of Mthatha. Port St. Jo ...
References
External links
Mzimvubu River Spring SurveyKey rivers of South AfricaIs there a role for traditional governance systems in South Africa's new water management regime?
{{Authority control
Rivers of the Eastern Cape
Internal borders of South Africa