Mthatha River or Umtata River () is a river in the
Eastern Cape Province
The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...
in
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 ...
. The river flows into the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
in an
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
located near
Coffee Bay. The Mthatha river flows in a southeastern direction and is approximately 250 km long with a catchment area of 2,600 km.
Mthatha Town (Umtata) is named after it.
Its main tributaries are the
Ngqungqu River and the
Cicira River.
The Mthatha River marks the southern limit of the
Pondoland
Pondoland or Mpondoland (Mpondo: ''EmaMpondweni''), is a natural region on the South African shores of the Indian Ocean. It is located in the coastal belt of the Eastern Cape province. Its territory is the former Mpondo Kingdom of the Mpondo peopl ...
region.
Dams
Presently this river is part of the
Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area
Mzimvubu to Keiskamma WMA, or Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area (coded: 12), includes the following major rivers: the Swane River, Mntafufu River, Mzimvubu River, Mngazi River, Mthatha River, Xora River, Mbashe River, Nqabara River, ...
.
Is there a role for traditional governance systems in South Africa's new water management regime?
/ref>
*Mthatha Dam
Mthatha Dam is an earth-fill type dam located on the Mthatha River, near Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was established in 1977 and serves mainly for municipal and industrial purposes. Its hazard potential has been ranked high (3).
Se ...
* Mabeleni Dam
See also
* List of rivers of South Africa
This is a list of rivers in South Africa.
It is quite common to find the Afrikaans word ''-rivier'' as part of the name. Another common suffix is "''-kamma''", from the Khoisan term for "river"
Meiring, Barbara"South African Toponymic Guidelin ...
* List of estuaries of South Africa
This is a list of estuaries in South Africa. The list is in order from East (border with Mozambique) to the West (border with Namibia).
The South African coastline stretches for some 3000 km from Kosi Bay near the Mozambique border in the ...
* List of dams and reservoirs in South Africa
References
External links
The Ecological Health of the Mthatha River180° view of Mthatha River MouthInvasive alien plants along Mthatha river
Rivers of the Eastern Cape
Internal borders of South Africa
{{SouthAfrica-river-stub