Mooi River (Zulu: eMpafana, Afrikaans: Mooirivier) is a small town situated at 1,389 m above sea level and 160 km from the coast in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

In 1879, an Irishman named Alexander Lawrence purchased the Grantleigh farm upstream from Weston, on the banks of the Mooi River.

In 1884, the railway line from Durban on the coast, to Johannesburg in the interior, reached the area and was built across Alexander Lawrence's land.

The six main schools are: The urban economy of the area is currently based primarily on retail entrepreneurship, tourism and supporting the local agricultural community.

Previously, the backbone of the urban economy had been Mooi River Textiles which finally closed in 2002 after years of downsizing.