Olifants River (Limpopo)

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Olifants River
Olifantsrivier, Rio dos Elefantes
KNP-Olifants River-001.jpg
Olifants River as it flows through the Kruger National Park
South Africa relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the Olifants-Limpopo confluence
EtymologyOlifant means "elephant" in Afrikaans, Obalule, means "long, stretched-out one" and Lepelle means "slow-flowing" or "distant" [1]
Native name
Location
Country South Africa and Mozambique
Provinces Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gaza
Physical characteristics
SourceNear Bethal
  locationMpumalanga, South Africa
  coordinates 26°20′33″S29°49′47″E / 26.34250°S 29.82972°E / -26.34250; 29.82972
  elevation1,800 m (5,900 ft)
Mouth Limpopo River
  location
Gaza Province, Mozambique
  coordinates
24°6′44″S32°38′25″E / 24.11222°S 32.64028°E / -24.11222; 32.64028
Basin size54,570 km2 (21,070 sq mi)
Basin features
Tributaries 
  left Letaba River
  right Steelpoort River
[2]
Course and catchment of the Limpopo River. The Olifants joins the Limpopo from the right, some 190 kilometres from the Indian Ocean. Limpopo watershed topo.png
Course and catchment of the Limpopo River. The Olifants joins the Limpopo from the right, some 190 kilometres from the Indian Ocean.

The Olifants River,Lepelle, [3] iBhalule or Obalule [4] (Afrikaans : Olifantsrivier; Portuguese : Rio dos Elefantes) is a river in South Africa and Mozambique, a tributary of the Limpopo River. It falls into the Drainage Area B of the Drainage basins of South Africa. The historical area of the Pedi people, Sekhukhuneland, is located between the Olifants River and one of its largest tributaries, the Steelpoort River. [5]

Contents

Course

The Olifants River has its origin between Breyten and Bethal, Mpumalanga Province. [6] It flows north towards Limpopo Province through Witbank Dam and then the Loskop Dam and is forced east by the Transvaal Drakensberg, cutting through at the Abel Erasmus Pass and then flowing east further across the Lowveld to join with the Letaba River. It crosses into Gaza Province, Mozambique, after cutting through the Lebombo Mountains by way of the Olifants Gorge, becoming the Rio dos Elefantes, and finally joining the Limpopo River after 40 km before it enters the Indian Ocean at Xai-Xai north of Maputo. [7]

Water quality

Overgrazing in sections of its middle course result in the river carrying away eroded soil after heavy rains. [8] The Olifants river has become one of the most heavily polluted rivers in South Africa, not by human or industrial waste, but by thriving green algae. [9] A 2013 study in the Kruger Park found that the river was mesotrophic, meaning that nutrient levels were fairly low, though a slight increase in nitrates could initiate eutrophication. Very high sulphate levels were attributed to coal mining and industry in the upper catchment. [10]

Tributaries

The Olifants River's largest tributaries are the Letaba River [11] and the Steelpoort River known as Tubatse River. [12] Other tributaries are the Tongwane, Blyde, Moses, Spekboom, Timbavati, Nkumpi, Ga-Selati, Klaserie, Makhutswi, Mohlapitse River, Lepellane River, Mohwetse River and Ngwaritsi River. Some tributaries, notably the Klein Olifants River (origin near Hendrina, joins the Olifants River downstream of the Middelburg Dam), the Elands, Wilge and the Bronkhorstspruit, rise in the Highveld grasslands. [13] The Shingwedzi River flows close to the northeastern side of the Massingir Dam reservoir and joins the left bank of the Olifants about 12 km downstream from the dam wall. [14]

Dams

Thirty large dams in the Olifants River Catchment include the following:

South Africa

Mozambique

See also

Related Research Articles

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Middelburg Dam is a dam located on the Klein Olifants River, part of the Olifants River basin. It is located near Middelburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Construction was completed in 1978, at a cost of €54.2 million. The cost was partially subsided by the French and German Governments, at a cost of €20.5 million, whilst also using a donation from the European Stability Mechanism, valued at €10 million. The primary purpose of the dam is to serve for water supply and its hazard potential has been ranked high (3).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Letaba River</span> River in South Africa

The Letaba River, also known as Leţaba, Lehlaba or Ritavi, is a river located in eastern Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is one of the most important tributaries of the Olifants River.

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The Shingwedzi River is a river in Limpopo Province, South Africa, and Gaza Province, Mozambique. It is a left hand tributary of the Olifants River (Rio dos Elefantes) and the northernmost river of its catchment area, joining it at the lower end of its basin. The Shingwedzi is a seasonal river whose riverbed is dry for prolonged periods.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engelhard Dam</span> Dam in Kruger National Park

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References

  1. Transvaal Indigenous Place Names Archived 2008-10-31 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "State of Rivers Report - The Olifants River System". Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Archived from the original on 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  3. Olifants River now called Lepelle
  4. Transvaal Indigenous Place Names Archived 2008-10-31 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "The Ba Pedi". Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  6. Major rivers and streams within the Limpopo River Basin
  7. Key rivers of South Africa Archived 2012-07-10 at archive.today
  8. The Olifants River System Archived 2007-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Contaminated Olifants River Running Out of Time
  10. Smit, NJ; Wepener, V; Vlok, W; Wagenaar, GM; van Vuren, JHJ (2013). Conservation of tigerfish, Hydrocynus vittatus, in the Kruger National Park with the emphasis on establishing the suitability of the water quantity and quality requirements for the Olifants and Luvuvhu rivers: report to the Water Research Commission (PDF). Gezina [South Africa]: Water Research Commission. p. vi. ISBN   978-1-4312-0358-1 . Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  11. Luvuvu Lethaba WMA 2
  12. Major rivers and streams within the Limpopo River Basin
  13. Olifants river WMA 4
  14. Shingwedzi River: why is it the most polluted river in the KNP?
  15. Massingir Dam & Flooding of Olifants Gorge