Mwenezi River

Mwenezi River
Mwenezi River in Zimbabwe lowveld
Mwenezi Location of the Mwenezi River's mouth
Country	Zimbabwe, Mozambique
Basin features
Main source	Insiza District, South Central Zimbabwe 154 m (505 ft)
River mouth	Limpopo River
Basin size	14,759 km2 (5,698 sq mi)
Physical characteristics
Discharge	Average rate: 14.34 mm/a (0.565 in/year) (unit flow)

Mwenezi River is a major tributary of the Limpopo River. The Mwenezi River starts up in south central Zimbabwe and flows south-east along what is known as the Mwenezi River Valley that bisects the district into two sectors. The river is found in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique. In Zimbabwe it has been known as the Nuanetsi or Nuanetzi River in the past, a name it retains in Mozambique.

The river flows through Gonarezhou National Park on its way to joining the mighty Limpopo River. The Mwenezi river is a major tributary and flows north-south. They do not meet in Zimbabwe, but converge to a distance of 20 km downstream into Chicualacuala District, Mozambique. In between is the Sengwe Communal Land in Chiredzi District of Masvingo Province, mostly a flat and undulating area around 300 m in altitude.

The Mwenezi River is a river with an intermittent flow generally restricted to the months when rain takes place (November to April), with most flow recorded between December and February, except where it has been modified by dam operations. The river contributes 6.7% of the mean annual runoff of the Limpopo Basin, making it the third largest tributary to the Limpopo basin.

Its major tributaries are the Dinhe, Manyoshi, Mtedzi, Mhondi, Makugwe, Sosonye, Sovoleli, Malole, Mwele and Mushawe rivers.

The settlements and cities below are ordered from the beginning of the river to its end:

There are four main bridges over the Mzingwane River:

There are also a number of fords.

In addition to a number of small weirs, there is one major dam on the Mzingwane River: Manyuchi Dam in Mwenezi (District), which supplies water to Rutenga and for the irrigation of sugar cane. Water released from the Manyuchi Dam is taken up for these users at Rinette Weir.