Tsitsa River

Tsitsa River iTsitsa
Location of the Tsitsa River mouth
Etymology	Tsitsa meaning 'to trickle' or 'to ooze' in the Xhosa language, referring to the rain and snow falling on the Drakensberg slopes[1]
Location
Country	South Africa
State	Eastern Cape
Physical characteristics
Source	Drakensberg
• location	SE of Rhodes
• coordinates	30°58′S 28°3′E / 30.967°S 28.050°E / -30.967; 28.050
• elevation	2,550 m (8,370 ft)
Mouth	Mzimvubu River
• location	SE of Qumbu
• coordinates	31°17′52″S 29°13′32″E / 31.29778°S 29.22556°E / -31.29778; 29.22556Coordinates: 31°17′52″S 29°13′32″E / 31.29778°S 29.22556°E / -31.29778; 29.22556
• elevation	183 m (600 ft)
Basin features
Tributaries
• right	, ,

The Tsitsa River (Afrikaans: Tsitsarivier; Xhosa: iTsitsa) is a river in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. It is a tributary of the Mzimvubu River and belongs to the Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area.

Course[]

The Tsitsa rises in the Drakensberg 15 km to the SE of Rhodes, about 80 km west of Mount Frere, and flows eastwards. The Tsitsa Falls are located in its upper course, amidst a mountainous area of great beauty. Bending and flowing southwards for a few miles, the river passes east of Maclear, before it bends eastwards again. Finally it empties into the Mzimvubu River while passing through deep river gorges about 36 km southeast of Qumbu.^[2]

Its main tributaries are the , (Wildebeesrivier) and the .

The Tsitsa River used to form part of the western border of the former Transkei. Now the Tsitsa is a popular place for whitewater kayaking.^[3]

Dams in the basin[]

There are only relatively small dams in the Tsitsa River basin. The on the Mooi River supplies water to Maclear town and the on the Wildebeest River supplies water to Ugie town.^[4]

See also[]

• List of rivers of South Africa
• List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
• Mzimvubu River

References[]

External links[]

• Mooi River Forum^{[permanent dead link]}
• Boskop Dam Nature Reserve, South Africa