Shingwedzi River
The dry river bed of the Shingwedzi in Kruger National Park
Template: Infobox River / Obsolete
The Shingwedzi ( Tshivenda: Tshingwedzi; Xitsonga: Xingwidzi; Afrikaans: Shingwedzirivier; Portuguese: Rio Shingwidzi ) is a river that flows through the provinces of Limpopo in South Africa and Gaza in Mozambique. He is a left tributary of the Lepelle (until 2005 Olifants River or Olifantsrivier ) and its northernmost tributary. He is not year-round water-bearing, but only seasonally. An ecological problem is the country both economically and industrially induced accumulation of pollutants of the river, and the overgrazing of surrounding areas.
River course
The Shingwedzi empties into the salt pan plain southeast of the mountain range, the Soutpansberges. Its sources are located about 40 km south-east of the district capital Vhembes, Thohoyandou. The Shingwedzi flowing through it later in the plateau-like regions of the bushveld and so reaches the Kruger National Park. Other major tributaries of the Shingwedzi basin are the Mandzoro, the Mphongolo, the Phugwane and Gole. Furthermore, the water of Shisha, Tshamidzi, Bububu and Dzombo flow to the pelvis.
The flow is dammed up at two positions. Stowage do one hand the Kanniedood Dam in the Kruger National Park and on the other hand the triangle Dam (South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe) who is staying the inflow of Mphongolo. In Mozambique, the river bends and flows in a southerly direction and in the further course southeastward. Downstream it happened nor the environment of a reservoir formed by the shut-off of Massingir Dam and ultimately leads to about 12 km after that in the Lepelle, which empties its waters into the Indian Ocean.
Climate in the catchment area
The Shingwedzi River Basin is relatively small, with an area of about 5300 km ². The climate is considered hot and dry. The low rainfall in the catchment area are an annual average of only 400-650 mm. Temperatures vary between 2.4 ° C in winter and 40.8 ° C in summer. The catchment area is frost-free.