Pongola River

The Pongola River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Maputo River. It rises near Utrecht in northern KwaZulu-Natal, flows east through oPhongolo, is dammed at Pongolapoort, and crosses the Ubombo Mountains; then it flows north towards Mozambique, joining the Maputo River.

Its main tributaries are the Bivane River and the Mozana River in South Africa, as well as the Ngwavuma in Eswatini.

The name of the uPhongolo River is derived from the isiZulu word for a barrel, vat, trough, or cask, referring to the deep and sometimes long pools that are found in this river.