Malibamatšo
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Malibamatšo Malibamatso |
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 Course of the Malibamatšo |
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| Data | ||
| location |
 Lesotho , Maloti Mountains |
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| River system | Orange | |
| Drain over | Orange → Atlantic Ocean | |
| source | Confluence in the east of Butha-Buthe District 28 ° 46 ′ 21 ″ S , 28 ° 37 ′ 15 ″ E |
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| Source height | around 2500 m altitude at the confluence of the source rivers | |
| muzzle |
Senqu Coordinates: 29 ° 33 '12 " S , 28 ° 42' 23" E 29 ° 33 '12 " S , 28 ° 42' 23" E |
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| Mouth height | around 1780 m | |
| Height difference | around 720 m | |
| Bottom slope | around 5.1 ‰ | |
| length | without source rivers around 140 km | |
| Left tributaries | Motete, Matsoku, Semenyanyane | |
| Right tributaries | Bokong | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Katse dam | |
 Malibamatšo near Katse before the dam was built |
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The Malibamatšo [ mɑˌdibɑˈmɑt͡sʰɔ ] (from Sesotho leliba 'deep place in the river' and ntšo 'black', meaning “black, deep places in the river”) is a river in Lesotho . It is a right tributary of the Senqu , which is called the Oranje or Orange River in South Africa .
geography
The Malibamatšo is formed by the confluence of the source rivers Tšehlanyane, Thlohohatsi, Matseng and Fanana, which arise in the east of the Butha-Buthe district on the edge of the border with South Africa at an altitude of about 3100 meters above sea level and are around 30 kilometers long. From there it flows south in numerous meanders cut deep into the basalt mountains through the districts of Leribe and Thaba-Tseka . It separates the front range of the Maloti Mountains from the rest of the high mountains. The second highest dam in Africa, 185 meters high, was built near Katse , creating the Katse dam . From there, water is directed north via a tunnel, where it is used to supply the South African metropolitan area of Gauteng . The river flows further south and flows into the Senqu about 15 kilometers east of Thaba-Tseka . In the lower reaches it forms the border between the districts of Leribe and Thaba-Tseka.
economy
Like all rivers in Lesotho, the Malibamatšo is not navigable. The Katse dam is important as a water reservoir for Gauteng and to a lesser extent for tourism.
