The Umgeni River or Mgeni River () is a river in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

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

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, some distance north of Durban's natural harbour. It is generally agreed its name means "the river of entrance" in Zulu, though other meanings have been suggested. 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 th ...

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 M ...

, 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 Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...

. 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 every year January. 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 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 Midmar ...

(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 provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

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, uMdloti River, Ohlanga River, Umgeni River, Mngeni River, Sterkspruit River, Lov ...

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

Albert Falls Dam Albert Falls Dam is a dam in the Umgeni River, just outside Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Established in 1976, the dam has a gross capacity of 290.1 million cubic meters and a surface area of . The dam wall is high. A lake-wid ...

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 In ...

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 h ...

Ecology

The

Scaly Yellowfish The scaly yellowfish, or KwaZulu-Natal yellowfish, (''Labeobarbus natalensis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. This fish is found in the Tugela River System in South Africa, as well as in the Umzimkulu, Umfolozi and ...

(''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, 18 km south-west of Ixopo, and 108 km south south-west of Pietermaritzburg, the provi ...

Thukela The Tugela River (; ) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of , and a drop of 1370 metres in the lower 480 km, it is one of the most important rivers of the country. The river originates in Mo ...

, Umkhomazi and the Umfolozi. It is a common

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

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

Drakensberg The Drakensberg (Zulu language, Zulu: uKhahlamba, Sotho language, Sotho: Maloti, Afrikaans: Drakensberge) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, Southern Africa, Great Escarpment, which encloses the central South Africa#Geography, Sout ...

foothills and the coastal lowlands.

History

It is assumed that

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

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 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 memoir spread over two volumes (whose accuracy is now disputed) called ''Travels and Adventures in Eastern Africa'' (183 ...

on his way to visit

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona (–24 September 1828), also known as Shaka (the) 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 reform ...

. At some point before October 1825, settlers and natives led by

Francis Farewell Francis George Farewell (1784–1829) was the founder of the Port Natal Colony in South Africa. Early life Farewell was born at Holbrook House near Wincanton in the Blackmore Vale in 1784. His father was the Reverend Samuel Farewell, who di ...

began construction of Fort Farewell between the uMngeni River and Port Natal.

References

External links