Mazowe River

{{Short description|River in Zimbabwe and Mozambique}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} right|thumb|330px|Mazowe River in the Luenha River catchment (center) The '''Mazowe River''' (previously called '''Mazoe River''') is a river in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, where it is called Rio Mazoe or Rio Mazoé.<ref>[https://tracks4africa.co.za/listings/item/w144569/high-bridge-luenha-river/ Tracks4Africa - Travel Africa Informed]</ref>

The river rises north of Harare, flows north and then northeast, where it forms part of the border with Mozambique and joins the Luenha River, a tributary of the Zambezi River. The Mazowe has a catchment basin of about {{convert|39000|sqkm|sqmi|0}}.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Chikozho |first1=Claudious |year=2008 |title=Stakeholder Participatory Processes and Dialogue Platforms in the Mazowe River Catchment, Zimbabwe |journal=African Studies Quarterly |volume=10 |issue=2/3 |pages=27–44, page 33 |url=https://sites.clas.ufl.edu/africanquarterly/files/Chikozho-Vol10Issue23.pdf }}</ref>{{dead link|date=January 2026}} In 1920, the Mazowe Dam was constructed on the river forty kilometres north of Harare to irrigate citrus farms.<ref>Kent Rusmussen, R. & Rubert, S. (1990) ''Historical Dictionary of Zimbabwe'', The Scarecrow Press.</ref>

The river and its tributaries are a popular site for gold panners and small placer operations,<ref>{{Cite news |title=EMA bemoans the menace of illegal mining |url=https://spiked.co.zw/ema-bemoans-the-menace-of-illegal-mining/ |archive-date=4 March 2021 |access-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304220018/https://www.spiked.co.zw/ema-bemoans-the-menace-of-illegal-mining/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> although in the wet season, the Mazowe becomes a raging torrent, often breaking its banks and causing damage to local communities and farms.

== References == {{reflist}} {{Rivers of Zimbabwe}} {{Rivers of Mozambique}}

{{coord|16|23|17|S|33|47|05|E|region:ZW_type:river_source:kolossus-ruwiki|display=title}}

Category:Mazowe River Category:Rivers of Zimbabwe Category:Rivers of Mozambique Category:Tributaries of the Zambezi River Category:International rivers of Africa Category:Mozambique–Zimbabwe border