Black Kei River, originates southwest of Queenstown

Queenstown, Eastern Cape

Queenstown, named after Queen Victoria, is a town in the middle of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, roughly half way in between the towns of Cathcart and Sterkstroom. It is currently the commercial, administrative, and educational centre of the prosperous surrounding farming district...

, and eventually joins the White Kei River

Wit-Kei River

Wit-Kei River, , originates north of Queenstown, Eastern Cape, Eastern Cape, South Africa and eventually joins the Black Kei River, to form the Great Kei River....

, to become the Great Kei River

Great Kei River

The Great Kei River is a river in South Africa in the Eastern Cape province. Before it becomes the Great Kei, the Swart-Kei River and the Wit-Kei River join forces, northeast of Cathcart. It flows for 520 km and ends at the Indian Ocean with the small town Kei Mouth on the west bank...

. Several villages are situated on its banks, including McBride Village, Qabi, Ntabelanga, Thornhill, Loudon, Mitford, Basoto, Baccle's Farm and Tentergate.

The Thrift Dam is its only significant reservoir.

Its upper reaches form the western boundary of the Tsolwana Nature Reserve

Tsolwana Nature Reserve

Tsolwana Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa that is managed by Eastern Cape Parks.It is located along the northern slopes of the Winterberg Mountains at the edge of Karoo. Its western boundary is formed by the upper Black Kei River...

, and during the mid 1800's, the Black Kei and its Klipplaat tributary formed the northern boundary of British Kaffraria

British Kaffraria

British Kaffraria was a British colony/subordinate administrative entity in present-day South Africa, consisting of the districts now known as King Williams Town and East London.The term Kaffraria stems from the word "Kaffir"...

. The Xesana, Klaas Smits and Klipplaat rivers are its main tributaries.