| Bushman's River Boesmansrivier | |
|---|---|
 Bushman's River at Wagendrift Dam | |
  Location of the Bushman's River mouth | |
| Native name | uMtshezi (Zulu)[1][2] |
| Location | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Drakensberg |
| Mouth | |
• location | Tugela River, Weenen |
• coordinates | 28°45′39″S 29°57′21″E / 28.76083°S 29.95583°E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Wagendrift Dam |
| • average | 358 m3/s (12,600 cu ft/s) |
The Bushman's River (Afrikaans: Boesmansrivier) is an east to north-easterly flowing tributary of the Tugela River, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg Mountain range, with its upper catchment in the Giant's Castle Game Reserve, north of the Giant's Castle promontory. It feeds the Wagendrift Dam and then flows past the town of Estcourt to join the Tugela River near the town of Weenen.[3]
Its tributaries include the Little Bushmans River which joins the Bushmans River at Estcourt, Rensburgspruit, Mtontwanes River and the Mugwenya River. The Wagendrift Dam near Estcourt is its major reservoir. Several densely populated rural villages, many inhabited by the amaHlubi, are found in the river's upper catchment area.[4] The river is flanked by the Bloukrans River to the north and the Mooi River to the south.
- ^ A. J. P. Opperman, The Battle of Blood River. CUM Books, Roodepoort, 1982. First edition, First impression. ISBN 0 86984 265 X. Page 4
- ^ South African Languages - Place names
- ^ "Rivers in South Africa - e-wise". Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
- ^ Pearce, R.O. (1973). Barrier of Spears - Drama of the Drakensberg. Howard Timins. pp. 3–13. ISBN 0-86978-050-6.