Bushman's River

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]

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
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Discharge
• location	Wagendrift Dam
• average	358 m3/s (12,600 cu ft/s)

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.