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The Mhlathuze/Richards Bay estuary
(28°51' S;
32°3' E)
is situated at the coastal town of Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal. Prior to the construction of a deep-water harbour in the 1970s, the system comprised a large shallow, expanse of water, fed primarily by the Mhlathuze River, with a catchment area of approximately 3670 sq. km. The system today consists two separate components, a harbour (Richards Bay) and a sanctuary area (Mhlathuze estuary) into which the Mhlathuze River flows. The harbour and sanctuary are separated by a 4 km long causeway or berm and each has its own separate opening to the sea. Although the harbour and sanctuary are separate systems, the two components have been combined in this analysis. Approximately 41% of the Richards Bay-Mhlathuze catchment was under agriculture, comprising a mixture of commercial forestry, subsistence farming and sugar cane. About 5% of the catchment was degraded, mostly consisting of degraded bushland and grassland. Roughly 52 % of the catchment was natural and comprised grassland, bushland, and forest and woodland. Urban development accounted for about 2% of the catchment land-cover and this comprised mainly residential, industrial and commercial development mainly associated with Richards Bay near the coast as well as Empangeni further inland.
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