It rises near Matopo Mission, Matobo District, and flows into the Shashe River near Tuli village.

The Thuli is an ephemeral river, with declining annual unit runoff.

[3] The Thuli River passes through no major settlements, only the following business centres: There are five main bridges over the Mzingwane River: There are also a number of fords and crossing points, including: 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.

Two additional dam sites have been selected further downstream: