Thuli River


The Thuli River, former name Tuli River, is a major tributary of the Shashe River in Zimbabwe. It rises near Matopo Mission, Matobo District, and flows into the Shashe River near Tuli village.

Hydrology

The Thuli is an ephemeral river, with declining annual unit runoff.
Major tributaries of the Thuli River include the Mtshabezi, Mtshelele, Sengezane river and Mwewe Rivers.
The Thuli River below Thuli-Makwe Dam is a sand filled channel, with alluvial aquifers in the river channel.

Towns along the river

The Thuli River passes through no major settlements, only the following business centres:
There are five main bridges over the Mzingwane River:
There are also a number of fords and crossing points, including:
In addition to a number of small weirs, there is one major dam on the Thuli River:
The Mtshabezi River is dammed at Mtshabezi, Sheet and Blanket. Mtshabezi Dam will augment the water supply for the City of Bulawayo, once a connecting pipeline has been completed. Sheet and Blanket Dams supply water to the City of Gwanda and Blanket and Vubachikwe Mines.
Two additional dam sites have been selected further downstream: