| Nzhelele River | |
| Name Etymology: | Nzhelele meaning a falcon or an eagle that in ancient times followed elephant hunters and fed on the meat hanging in the trees to dry.[1] |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the Nzhelele River mouth |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Limpopo Province |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Dzanani |
| Subdivision Type4: | District |
| Subdivision Name4: | Vhembe |
| Subdivision Type5: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name5: | Makhado |
| Source1: | Thathe Vondo |
| Source1 Location: | Soutpansberg |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1673m (5,489feet) |
| Mouth Location: | Limpopo River, South Africa/Zimbabwe border |
| Mouth Coordinates: | -22.3522°N 30.3719°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 404m (1,325feet) |
| Basin Size: | 3436km2 |
| Tributaries Left: | Mutamba |
| Tributaries Right: | Mufungudi, Tshishiru |
The Nzhelele River is a major watercourse in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The river's catchment area comprises 3,436 square kilometers.[2]
This river collects much of the drainage of the northern slopes of the extensive rock formation of the Soutpansberg. Leaving the mountainous area, it meanders in a northeastward direction across the Lowveld, a wide plain that contains considerable biodiversity, including numerous large mammals such as giraffes, white rhinos and blue wildebeests.[3] It joins the right bank of the Limpopo River 33 km east of Musina.[4]
The Mutamba River, its main tributary, rises in the Buelgum Poort farm of the Soutpansberg, further west from the sources of the Nzhelele.[5] Other tributaries are the Tshiruru River, Mugungudi River, Mutshedzi River and the Wyllie River.[6]
