The Thuli River, former name Tuli River, is a major tributary of the Shashe River in Zimbabwe. It rises near Matopo Mission, Matobo District, and flows into the Shashe River near Tuli village.

Hydrology

The Thuli is an ephemeral river, with declining annual unit runoff. Its major tributaries include the Mtshabezi, Mtshelele, Sengezane river and Mwewe rivers. Below Thuli-Makwe Dam, the Thuli is a sand filled channel, with alluvial aquifers in the river channel.

Towns

The Thuli River passes through no major settlements, only the following business centres:

Bridges and crossings

There are five main bridges over the Mzingwane River: There are also a number of fords and crossing points, including:

Development

In addition to a number of small weirs, there is one major dam on the Thuli River: The Mtshabezi River (the principal left-bank tributary) is dammed at Mtshabezi, Sheet and Blanket. Mtshabezi Dam will augment the water supply for the City of Bulawayo, once a connecting pipeline has been completed. Sheet and Blanket Dams supply water to the City of Gwanda and Blanket and Vubachikwe Mines. Two additional dam sites have been selected further downstream: