Mbhashe River
| Mbashe River | |
Mbhashe, Bashee | |
Name origin: Referring either to 'dark river' or 'dangerous ravine' in the Xhosa language, or perhaps named after a person called 'Mbashe'[1] | |
| Country | South Africa |
|---|---|
Province | Eastern Cape Province |
| Source | Drakensberg |
| - location | NE of Elliot, Eastern Cape |
| - elevation | 1,700 m (5,577 ft) |
| Mouth | Indian Ocean |
| - location | Bashee |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | 32°15′S 28°54′E / 32.250°S 28.900°E / -32.250; 28.900Coordinates: 32°15′S 28°54′E / 32.250°S 28.900°E / -32.250; 28.900 |
| Basin | 6,030 km2 (2,328 sq mi) |
  Location of the Mbashe River mouth | |
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]
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.[4]
Contents
1 History
2 Ecology
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
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.[5]
Mvezo is a village on the banks of the Mbashe River, where Nelson Mandela was born in 1918.[6]
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.[7]
See also
- List of rivers of South Africa
- List of estuaries of South Africa
References
^ Dictionary of Southern African Place Names
^ Mbhashe River Trends - 2007/2010
^ Lighthouses of S Africa: M'bashee Lighthouse
^ Is there a role for traditional governance systems in South Africa's new water management regime?
^ Mpondo Kingdom - The History of The Kingdom Archived 2013-07-04 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Route and landmarks on the Mandela~Biko~Woods Trail Archived 2012-10-10 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Mbhashe River System
External links
- Mbashe Key Area
- South African Tourism - Mbashe River Picture
- SA Birding - Cwebe and Dwesa Nature Reserves
- A History of the Qwathi
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