Nzhelele River

The Nzhelele River is a major watercourse in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The river's catchment area comprises 3,436 square kilometers.[2]

Nzhelele River
View of the Nzhelele River in the Philip Herd Nature Reserve
Nzhelele River is located in South Africa
Nzhelele River
Location of the Nzhelele River mouth
EtymologyNzhelele meaning a falcon or an eagle that in ancient times followed elephant hunters and fed on the meat hanging in the trees to dry.[1]
Location
CountrySouth Africa
StateLimpopo Province
RegionDzanani
DistrictVhembe
MunicipalityMakhado
Physical characteristics
SourceThathe Vondo
 • locationSoutpansberg
 • elevation1,673 m (5,489 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Limpopo River, South Africa/Zimbabwe border
 • coordinates
22°21′08″S 30°22′19″E
 • elevation
404 m (1,325 ft)
Basin size3,436 km2 (1,327 sq mi)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftMutamba
 • rightMufungudi, Tshishiru

Course

This river collects much of the drainage of the northern slopes of the extensive rock formation of the Soutpansberg. Leaving the mountainous area, it meanders in a northeastward direction across the Lowveld, a wide plain that contains considerable biodiversity, including numerous large mammals such as giraffes, white rhinos and blue wildebeests.[3] It joins the right bank of the Limpopo River 33 km east of Musina.[4]

The Mutamba River, its main tributary, rises in the Buelgum Poort farm of the Soutpansberg, further west from the sources of the Nzhelele.[5] Other tributaries are the Tshiruru River, Mugungudi River, Mutshedzi River and the Wyllie River.[6]

Dams in the basin

See also

References
  1. Transvaal Indigenous Place Names Archived 2008-10-31 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Major rivers and streams within the Limpopo River Basin
  3. Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs) - Soutpansberg
  4. "Nzhelele Sub-basin". Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  5. Soutpansberg - Geology and Geography
  6. Busari, Ola (2008). "Groundwater in the Limpopo Basin: Occurrence, use and impact". Environment, Development and Sustainability. 10 (6): 943–957. doi:10.1007/s10668-007-9094-3. S2CID 154503353.
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