Mbhashe River

Mbhashe River, Mbashe River (the official name according to the South African geographical names council) or Bashee River is one of the major rivers in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. It flows in a southeastern direction and has a catchment area of 6,030 km².[2] The river drains into the Indian Ocean through an estuary located near the lighthouse at Bashee, south of Mhlanganisweni.[3]

Mbashe River
Mbhashe, Bashee
Location of the Mbashe River mouth
EtymologyReferring either to 'dark river' or 'dangerous ravine' in the Xhosa language, or perhaps named after a person called 'Mbashe'[1]
Location
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceEastern Cape Province
Physical characteristics
SourceDrakensberg
 • locationNE of Elliot, Eastern Cape
 • elevation1,700 m (5,600 ft)
MouthIndian Ocean
 • location
Bashee
 • coordinates
32°15′S 28°54′E
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Basin size6,030 km2 (2,330 sq mi)

After passing under national road N2, the Mbhashe River encounters southwest of Elliotdale and north-east of Dutywa the more rugged terrain of the Wild Coast and suddenly enters into a 64 km long series of violent twists and turns known as the Collywobbles before continuing more sedately towards the Indian Ocean.[4][5]

The Mbhashe river's main tributaries are the Xuka River, Mgwali River, Dutywa River and the Mnyolo River. Presently this river is part of the Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area.[6]

History

In 1554 Portuguese ship São Bento ran aground at the mouth of the Mbhashe River. The ordeal of 322 of its survivors, who walked from there to Lourenço Marques, presently Maputo, has been recorded.[7]

Mvezo is a village on the banks of the Mbashe River, where Nelson Mandela was born in 1918.[8]

Ecology

Some of the fishes caught in its waters are Labeobarbus aeneus, Barbus pallidus, Barbus anoplus, Myxus capensis, Anguilla marmorata and Anguilla mossambica. Labeobarbus aeneus is an invasive species, now widely present in the river system.[9]

See also

References
  1. Dictionary of Southern African Place Names
  2. Mbhashe River Trends - 2007/2010
  3. Lighthouses of S Africa: M'bashee Lighthouse
  4. "Proposed Mgwali South Water Supply iDutywa, Mbhashe Municipality, Amatole District Municipality Eastern Cape Province Heritage Impact Report" (PDF). Professional Grave Solutions (Pty) Ltd. July 27, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  5. Matthews, Sue (November 2008), "Harnessing the Collywobbles" (PDF), The Water Wheel: 22–24
  6. Is there a role for traditional governance systems in South Africa's new water management regime?
  7. Mpondo Kingdom - The History of The Kingdom Archived 2013-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Route and landmarks on the Mandela~Biko~Woods Trail Archived 2012-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Mbhashe River System


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