Page 36 - Waterfall_Issue 4_2022

Waterfall Nature

Water Dikkop at bird-rich Panic Dam in the Sabie-Sand basin Typical scene along the Lower Sabie road
THE SABIE RIVER

By James Clarke, Photographs by Mary Broadley

The most biologically diverse river in southern Africa
T here’s a river in Mpumalanga, wonder and includes the original The good thing about the Sabie River

itself is that it springs in the wild,
a mere 230km long, that is
‘Big Five’ – elephant, black
rhino, Cape buffalo, lion, and
unique – unique not just in
generally unpolluted mountains
South Africa, but in the world.
leopard – and there’s 19 species
of antelope plus a bewildering and flows through many rapids
which are excellent for oxygenating
It is called the Sabie and it rises 2 000 variety of smaller mammals. the water and, therefore breaking
or so metres up in Mpumalanga’s down some of the pollutants.
Drakensberg Escarpment. It then drops The Sabie-Sand River Basin (the
rapidly to the Lowveld after racing Sand River merges with the Sabie And, fortunately, the Sabie is not, so
through the small but wildly growing in the park) covers 7 000 square far, losing a critical amount of water to
town of Sabie and, 50km on, through kilometres including the Sabi Sands thirsty pine and eucalyptus plantations.
Hazyview and into Kruger National Park. Game Reserve and four smaller However, in 1999, the Department
From there, it crosses into Mozambique, reserves on Kruger’s western flank. of Water and Sanitation completed
to be swallowed up by the Inkomati River, the Injaka Dam on the Marite River, a
which empties into the Indian Ocean. A big concern is what is happening tributary of the Sabie, ostensibly ‘for
west of these reserves. irrigation’ but it also provides water
Biologically, considering the Sabie’s for resorts that have since developed
modest length, it is probably The town of Sabie has allowed its around it and for Bushbuckridge itself
the richest stretch of river on the sewerage plant to deteriorate and – a municipality that is growing as
planet. The Amazon has nothing pollute the river. Hazyview is becoming steadily as Sabie and Hazyview.
to compare with the Sabie’s overwhelmed by hastily erected homes
wildlife in and out of the water. and ad hoc small industries – just a At the end of the 20th century it was
dozen kilometres from Kruger Park. found that, of the seven rivers that
Almost half the river’s length cross Kruger Park from west to east,
is in Kruger Park. all had, in time of drought, dried

Its species of fish alone total 47. Its
frog life is also remarkable and so is
its variety of birds. I’d guess at more
than 400 species of birds including
what birders nowadays try to spot
– the ‘Big Six’. These are the lappet-
faced vulture, ground hornbill, Pel’s
fishing owl, the saddle-billed stork,
martial eagle and Kori bustard.

Its variety of mammals is a world
The Lower Sabie near Skukuza
34 Waterfall Issue 4 2022