Matsheumhlope
| Matsheumhlope | ||
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| Data | ||
| location |
 Zimbabwe
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| River system | Limpopo | |
| Drain over | Umzingwani → Limpopo → Indian Ocean | |
| muzzle |
Umzingwani coordinates: 20 ° 20 ′ 41 ″ S , 28 ° 45 ′ 56 ″ E 20 ° 20 ′ 41 ″ S , 28 ° 45 ′ 56 ″ E |
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| Mouth height | approx. 1200 m
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The Matsheumhlope is a river in Zimbabwe ; Matsheumhlope is also the name of a suburb of Bulawayo . The river meanders south of Bulawayo through the Matobo National Park until it flows into the Umzingwani , which is a tributary of the Limpopo .
Legend
This brook is famous because of the legend about the crocodile of Matsheumhlope at the time of the Munhumutapa empire , when the Matsheumhlope was a raging river. Back then, a boy named Ndhlovu lived in a kraal on the bank who was once bathing in the river when a giant crocodile bit his leg and pulled him into deep water. Ndhlovu began fighting for his life when a large hawk fell from the sky and attacked the crocodile by poking out one eye with its razor-sharp beak. The crocodile reared up and raged, so that the water foamed as if it were boiling. In the process, it lost Ndhlovu's leg. The hawk started to dive again to attack the crocodile's other eye, but the crocodile dived while Ndhlovu managed to reach the bank and drag himself ashore. Both of his legs were completely bitten and he passed out. But the falcon circled overhead. Members of his tribe saw the hawk and its unusual behavior. They came to see what was going on there. They found Ndhlovu and took him to the n'anga , the shaman, who healed his wounds. Ndhlovu recovered, but he could never use his legs again, so that he could never again set out with the men of his tribe. He then spent his time telling the story of the heroic hawk who was never seen again. Ndhlovu became a recognized storyteller, but he could never describe the hawk enough to be enough for him. That is why he began to scratch it in the soft sandstone of this area, where countless images of the falcon have been preserved to this day. Ndhlovu grew old and when children listened to him, he would give them a figure of the falcon to take with them on their way.
The story and with it Ndhlovu became legendary and belong to what the children of this area are told from generation to generation. The carved rock carvings and the falcon figures are typical of this area and became its symbol, which can also be found today in the flag of Zimbabwe .