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The Thukela (Tugela) estuary
(29°13' S;
31°30' E)
is situated in KwaZulu-Natal, approximately midway between Richards Bay and the coastal city of Durban. The Thukela is the largest river system in KwaZulu-Natal. The river is approximately 405 km long with a catchment area of 29 101 sq. km. About 15% of the Thukela catchment was under agriculture, comprising mainly subsistence farming, temporary commercial dryland agriculture, temporary commercial irrigated agriculture, and commercial forestry. Some sugar cane and improved grasslands were also present. Roughly 8% of the Thukela catchment comprised degraded grassland, bushland and forest with some erosion also present. A high proportion of the catchment (75%) was natural and consisted mostly of grassland and bushland with some forest. Approximately 1% of the catchment was urban, comprising mostly residential, industrial and commercial development as well as mines and quarries. This was mainly associated with the towns of Estcourt, Ladysmith, Dundee and Newcastle situated in the upper catchment.
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