Buffalo River (KwaZulu-Natal)
The Buffalo River (Zulu: uMzinyathi; Afrikaans: Buffelsrivier) is the largest tributary of the Tugela River in South Africa. Its source is in Majuba Hill, "Hill of Doves" in Zulu language, located northeast of Volksrust, close to the Mpumalanga / KwaZulu-Natal border. It follows a southerly route into KwaZulu-Natal past Newcastle then turns southeast past Rorke's Drift, before joining the Tugela River[1] at Ngubevu near Nkandla. During the nineteenth century it formed part of the boundary between the Colony of Natal and Zululand.
| Buffalo River | |
|---|---|
 Buffalo River at Rorke's Drift | |
  Location of the Buffalo River's mouth | |
| Native name | Mzinyathi |
| Location | |
| Country | South Africa |
| State | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Near Majuba Hill |
| • location | Drakensberg |
| Mouth | |
• location | Tugela River |
• coordinates | 28°42′59″S 30°38′30″E |
• elevation | 465 metres (1,526 ft) |
The Buffalo River has a number of tributaries, including the Ingagani from the SW and the Blood River from the NE, which it joins near Kandi Mountain.[2] Rorke's Drift is a ford across the Buffalo River which is one of the famous places of the 1878-79 Anglo-Zulu War and Isandhlwana is another important place of that war located about 20 km SE of the river, not far from the confluence with the Tugela.[3]
See also
- List of rivers of South Africa
- Drainage basins of South Africa
References
- Thukela WMA 7
- The Geology of Vryheid
- "Tugela". Archived from the original on 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
