Amanzimtoti River, also known as aManzimtoti River (which is its official name), is a short river in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, that originates northwest of Adams Mission, and flows through the town of Amanzimtoti, South Africa. The N2 crosses the river just before its mouth at the Indian Ocean. (coordinates river mouth see Manzimtoti Lagoon).
Amanzimtoti River
aManzimtoti
Amanzimtoti River at the lower parking area of Ilanda Wilds
Zulu king Shaka is said to have named the river after drinking the waters and exclaiming in isiZulu "Kanti amanzi mtoti" meaning "So, the water is sweet". The river came to be known to English speakers as Amanzimtoti ("Sweet Waters"). The Zulu word for "sweet" is mnandi, but Shaka's mother had the name Nandi, so he is said to have invented the word 'toti' to replace mnandi, so as not to wear out her name.
Recently it has been proposed to officially change the name to Manzamtoti to more accurately reflect the isiZulu pronunciation and spelling, though many Amanzimtoti residents still refer to the river as Amanzimtoti River, Manzimtoti River or simply Toti River.
A recent alternative, and unpopular, suggestion for the origin of the name of the river is in the isiZulu word 'udoti' meaning dirt, which fits more closely with 'toti', and that the name actually means "Dirty Water".[1]
Historyedit
The river was once flanked by extensive marsh-lands and reed-beds, but these were filled in to build the town centre and a rubbish dump. The rubbish dump was later covered over and developed into sports fields.
At one time it was possible to travel by boat from the town centre to the River Gardens Hotel, which was a popular Sunday activity. Siltation eventually made this impossible, until the river was dredged a number of times in the 1990s. However the dredging process was seen by some conservationists as destructive, and by others as expensive. The river has once again silted to a large extent.
The river is now flanked in a portion by a nature reserve called Ilanda Wilds. The river and nature reserve are home to a number of rare and endangered species, and high biodiversity compared to the size of the area.
amanzimtoti, river, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, march, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Amanzimtoti River news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2010 Learn how and when to remove this message Amanzimtoti River also known as aManzimtoti River which is its official name is a short river in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa that originates northwest of Adams Mission and flows through the town of Amanzimtoti South Africa The N2 crosses the river just before its mouth at the Indian Ocean coordinates river mouth see Manzimtoti Lagoon Amanzimtoti RiveraManzimtotiAmanzimtoti River at the lower parking area of Ilanda WildsLocationCountrySouth AfricaLocationKwaZulu NatalPhysical characteristicsMouth locationIndian Ocean Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 See also 4 ReferencesEtymology editZulu king Shaka is said to have named the river after drinking the waters and exclaiming in isiZulu Kanti amanzi mtoti meaning So the water is sweet The river came to be known to English speakers as Amanzimtoti Sweet Waters The Zulu word for sweet is mnandi but Shaka s mother had the name Nandi so he is said to have invented the word toti to replace mnandi so as not to wear out her name Recently it has been proposed to officially change the name to Manzamtoti to more accurately reflect the isiZulu pronunciation and spelling though many Amanzimtoti residents still refer to the river as Amanzimtoti River Manzimtoti River or simply Toti River A recent alternative and unpopular suggestion for the origin of the name of the river is in the isiZulu word udoti meaning dirt which fits more closely with toti and that the name actually means Dirty Water 1 History editThe river was once flanked by extensive marsh lands and reed beds but these were filled in to build the town centre and a rubbish dump The rubbish dump was later covered over and developed into sports fields At one time it was possible to travel by boat from the town centre to the River Gardens Hotel which was a popular Sunday activity Siltation eventually made this impossible until the river was dredged a number of times in the 1990s However the dredging process was seen by some conservationists as destructive and by others as expensive The river has once again silted to a large extent The river is now flanked in a portion by a nature reserve called Ilanda Wilds The river and nature reserve are home to a number of rare and endangered species and high biodiversity compared to the size of the area nbsp Amanzimtoti Lagoon nbsp Amanzimtoti River at Ilanda WildsSee also editList of lagoons of South AfricaReferences edit M Purves 2010 30 03 S 30 53 E 30 050 S 30 883 E 30 050 30 883 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Amanzimtoti River amp oldid 1224345611, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
