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49-690: The Vaal River Barrage Reservoir is a dam on the Vaal River near Vanderbijlpark , border Gauteng and Free State , South Africa . The Barrage, created by a set of gates across the Vaal River, was built by Rand Water downstream of the Vaal Dam , in 1923. The reservoir is 64 kilometres long and has a total storage capacity of 63 million litres, a surface area of 16,835 square kilometres and has an average depth of 4,5 metres. The rivers – i.e., Suikerbosrand , Klip , & Rietspruit – that feed into

98-659: A Republic. Hermanus Steyn was appointed as President of the Republic of Swellendam. The burghers of Swellendam started to call themselves "national burghers" – after the style of the French Revolution. However, the Republic was short-lived and was ended on 4 November 1795 when the Cape was occupied by the Kingdom of Great Britain . Public farmers and the government authorities could not agree on policies with regards to

147-557: A considerable amount of this section is also used for mining and industries, irrigation and power generation. The river regularly experiences pollution of its upper reaches, and this affects users downstream. During 2019 the Lekwa Local Municipality 's main water treatment plant in Standerton was in disrepair and was causing chronic pollution problems. To assist users downstream, clean water had to be pumped into

196-667: A dam or floodgate in South Africa is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Vaal River The Vaal River ( / ˈ v ɑː l / Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈfɑːl] ; Khoemana : ǀHaiǃarib ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa . The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Ermelo and only about 240 kilometres (150 mi) from

245-732: A hundred people, after 1834 even in groups of hundreds. There were many reasons why the Boers left the Cape Colony; among the initial reasons were the language laws. The British had proclaimed the English language as the only language of the Cape Colony and prohibited the use of the Dutch language. As the Bible, churches, schools and culture of many of the settlers were Dutch, this caused a lot of friction. Britain abolished slavery in 1834 and allocated

294-665: A long reputation of lawlessness, often being called typical "Back-veldt Boers". In 1864, they were inevitably incorporated into the South African Republic (Transvaal) after the Transvaal Civil War . As a district in the Republic, they had the largest native population in the South African Republic. In April 1837, a party under leadership of Piet Retief arrived in Thabanchu. In June 1837, in Winburg,

343-601: A proclamation declaring British sovereignty over all the lands to the north and to the south of the Vaal river. Commandant-General Andries Pretorius led the commandos against the British forces later that year, leading to the Battle of Boomplaats on 29 August 1848, in which the British emerged victorious. The Volksraad from Winburg was transferred to Potchefstroom and the South African Republic (Dutch: Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek;

392-523: A three-phase construction that would augment water from Lesotho into the Vaal River, including four major dams. From 1954, the Natural Resources Development Council proposed that South Africa receive some water from neighbouring Lesotho . Negotiations between the two countries started in the late 1970s. A treaty for the development of the scheme was signed on 24 October 1987 by representatives of Lesotho, South Africa,

441-801: Is drawn from the Vaal to meet the industrial needs of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area and a large part of the Free State. In 1881 the Kimberley Waterworks Company, provided water from the Vaal to the Cape Diamond Fields at a cost of one shilling per 100 imperial gallons (450 L; 120 US gal). As a part of the Vaal-Hartz Scheme it is a major source of water for irrigation. Water drawn from

490-774: The Braamfontein Water Company's Vierfontein Syndicate of 1893 and the Sivewright Concession of 1887 by the Johannesburg Waterworks and Exploration Company. Water was expensive and largely inaccessible for most inhabitants. The Rand Water Board was established in 1903 to take over the operations of the private sector with a mandate to investigate sustainable water supply and sanitation services. The organisation would become fully operational in 1905, supplying water in bulk to

539-563: The European Union , United Nations and the World Bank . It was then estimated to cost R9.1 billion for the first phase of the project alone. South Africa pays R150 million to Lesotho each year whether they use all of the water that is supplied or not. According to Hogan the headwaters portion of the basin supports high endemism in reptiles, and lower in the watershed are elevated levels of endemism for small mammals. Water

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588-701: The First Boer War with Britain. However, later developments, including the discovery of diamonds and gold in these states, led to the Second Boer War . In this war, the Transvaal and Orange Free State were defeated and annexed by the overwhelmingly larger British forces, ceasing to exist on 31 May 1902, with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging . A new British dominion, the Union of South Africa ,

637-726: The Free Burghers in 1657. The Free Burghers established two colonies at the Liesbeeck River near Rondebosch in the Western Cape . Following an application process, the Free Burghers formed two groups, the first group named their settlement Harman's Colony and the second group named theirs Stephen's Colony. By 1670, the VOC decided to grant additional land to the Free Burghers in order to increase grain production for

686-598: The Griqua , a subgroup of South Africa's heterogeneous and multiracial Coloured people. Most notable among these were Griqualand West and Griqualand East . The people north of the Vaal River in the South African Republic were recognised as an independent country by the United Kingdom with the signing of the Sand River Convention on 17 January 1852. The Orange Free State was recognised by

735-519: The Griquas or Boers from an earlier Kora Khoekhoe or !Orakobab name, sometimes spelled as Tky-Gariep (in Khoekhoegowab orthography it is ǀHai!garib , drab river). Both Vaal and Tky (in modern orthography ǀHai ) mean "drab" or "dull", which alludes to the colour of the waters, especially noticeable during flood season when the river is laden with silt. In the upper reaches the river

784-649: The Indian Ocean . It then flows westwards to its confluence with the Orange River southwest of Kimberley in the Northern Cape . It is 1,458 kilometres (906 mi) long, and forms the border between Mpumalanga, Gauteng and North West Province on its north bank, and the Free State on its south. It is the third largest river in South Africa after the Orange River (2200 km long) and

833-538: The Limpopo River (1750 km long) and was established as the main source of water for the great Witswatersrand area after the 19th century gold rush . The Vaal Dam lies on the Vaal River in Deneysville just south of the border between Gauteng and the Free State. The Vaal River is the longest river wholly within the borders of South Africa. Vaal is a Dutch name (later Afrikaans ), translated by

882-616: The Orange Free State . The geographic name "Transvaal" comes from the name of this river, meaning "beyond the Vaal river". This was in respect to the Cape Colony and Natal , which were the main areas of European settlement at the time, and which lay south of the Vaal. During the late 19th century, there was an influx of people migrating to the Witwatersrand in search of gold . The Vaal River would eventually become

931-774: The UK on 17 February 1854. The Orange Free State became independent on 23 February 1854 with the signing of the Bloemfontein or Orange River Convention . The Orange Free State was nicknamed "the model republic". The Transvaal and the Orange Free State developed into successful independent countries which were recognized by the Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, the United States, and Britain. These two countries continued to exist for several decades, despite

980-610: The Witwatersrand . The organisation's members included officials from the Johannesburg Town Council, The Chamber of Mines and other local authorities within the Witwatersrand. Rand Water responded to water scarcity by imposing restrictions on Witwatersrand inhabitants in 1913. It also developed major water schemes that would respond to the growing demand. Between 1914 and 1998, the organisation partnered with various government and private entities to drive

1029-713: The 1830s–40s. On the 22nd of January 1837 Piet Retief addressed a letter to the British Colonial Administration in which he concluded "We quit this colony under the full assurance that the English Government has nothing more to require of us, and will allow us to govern ourselves without its interference in future". By 1795 the dissatisfaction towards the Dutch East India Company caused the burghers of Swellendam to revolt, and on 17 June 1795 they declared themselves

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1078-485: The European people voted on a resolution whether to pursue independence or remain under British rule. The vast majority of people voted to remain under British rule. Sir Harry Smith, however, had instructions to hand the country over to the Boers. In 1853, Sir George Clerk was sent as special commissioner to give up the land and to establish self-rule. 16,000 people sent a delegation of representatives to inform Clerk that

1127-530: The Koranna Khoisan tribe, when they invaded and took a piece of land, which they declared the Republic of Stellaland. The first president was Gerrit Jacobus van Niekerk and the town of Vryburg was founded and declared its capital. In 1883, The Republic of Stellaland united with The State of Goshen to form the United States of Stellaland . The New Republic (comprising the town of Vryheid )

1176-587: The Vaal River Barrage Reservoir flow from industrial and heavily populated areas such as Johannesburg , Vereeniging and Sasolburg . This reservoir was used to supply water to the Witwatersrand but no longer does so because the quality of its water is deteriorating due to pollution. This reservoir, which is managed by Rand Water, is used for many recreational activities, such as boating, skiing, fishing, and swimming, with many holiday resorts found along its banks. This article about

1225-564: The Vaal River before the Vaal Dam was built in 1938; now the water flows straight into the dam. Kromelmboogspruit joins the Vaal near the Vaal Barrage . Since the Vaal River's surface runoff is erratic, large dams have been built along its course to collect the water. In the past, before the river was established as the official source of water for part of the Gauteng , several small dams were built by farmers for irrigation . When

1274-645: The Vaal River from other catchment areas between the 1970s and 1990s. These include the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and KwaZulu-Natal 's Tugela-Vaal Water Transfer Scheme. The Tugela-Vaal Transfer Scheme was completed in 1974 to transfer from the Tugela River in KwaZulu Natal via canals, pipelines and dams into the Vaal River system The Lesotho Highlands Water Project was finally launched in 1997 and would entail

1323-747: The Vaal River scheme and the barrage (1914–1924). The Vaal River scheme was an initiative established to manage water distribution. The Rand Water board also established the Vereeniging Pumping Station (1924), the Zwartkopjes Pumping Station, the Vaal Dam (1938), the Zuikerbosch Pumping Station (1949) and the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (1998). Rain and underground water collects in pans, vleis and streams and where these connect,

1372-464: The Vaal supports 12 million consumers in Gauteng and surrounding areas. The majority of the Vaal River water upstream of the Vaal Dam is used for mining and industrial use such as coal mines and Sasol 's energy and chemical-related activities, as well as urban use and power generation. Further downstream of the dam, water is mostly dedicated to urban requirements and, although proportionally less,

1421-650: The Vet river and founded a town called Winburg . The establishment of the South African Republic had its origins in 1837 when the commandos of Potgieter and Piet Uys defeated a Matabele raiding party of Mzilikazi and drove them back over the Limpopo river . Potgieter declared the lands north and south of the Vaal river as Boer lands. Boers started settling on both sides of the Vaal river and in March 1838, Potgieter, Uys and

1470-602: The Voortrekkers; on 16 December 1838 the battle of Ncome River (later named the Battle of Blood River ) occurred, during which 300 Voortrekkers survived and won a decisive battle against thousands of Dingane's impis. The Natalia Republic was established in 1839 by the local Boers after Pretorius entered into an alliance with Mpande , the new Zulu king. In June 1852 a public meeting was held in Bloemfontein where all

1519-540: The ZAR) was established as the name of the new country. The Boer Republics were predominately Calvinist Protestant due to their Dutch heritage, and this played a significant role in their culture. The ZAR national constitution did not provide separation between church and state, disallowing the franchise (citizenship) to anyone not a member of the Dutch Reformed Church . In 1858, these clauses were altered in

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1568-551: The agreement is filed in the Government Archives under file R117/46. FN further states that the land was legally bought and paid for on 25 July 1846 as an ethnic group and not as individual landowners and was only in custodianship of the pre-1994 government as they were regarded as descendants of the ethnic group. There was therefore no legal right to hand this land over to a "foreign" government in April 1994 and away from

1617-763: The constitution to allow for the Volksraad to approve other Dutch Calvinist churches that separated from the Dutch Reformed Church in the wake of a number of splits. Members of the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian churches were not allowed to become citizens of the ZAR. The Zoutpansberg Boers came in 1835, settling along the Limpopo River , where they learnt gold working from the natives. The white settlers in Zoutpansberg had

1666-422: The construction of the Vaal Dam was completed in 1938, the dam ensured the supply of water throughout each year even when the river was not full. The dam would receive water from different catchment areas through various projects. Two water transfer schemes were developed to supply the economic heartland of the country (then recognised as the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging complex) by channelling water into

1715-524: The frontier resulting in the 'Cape Frontier Rebellion' of 1795 where after the Boers declared Graaff-Reinet an independent republic, the Republic of Graaff-Reinet . Following the Invasion of the Cape Colony in 1795, the British took possession of the area which led to another revolt in 1799, the uprising were suppressed by British troops that same year. Louis Tregardt and Jan van Rensburg split off from Hendrik Potgieter 's group, and continued on to establish Zoutpansberg . Potgieter's group remained at

1764-418: The main water source for the Witwatersrand. The growing population initially used water from the groundwater of the Zuurbekom Wells in Gauteng 's West Rand. Eventually these would dry up and people would need a new source that could provide for their domestic, agricultural and industrial activities. Water schemes were initially established by the private sector to deal with the growing demand. These included

1813-411: The men of their commando provided relief to Gerrit Maritz , and early in April 1838, Uys and his son were killed. During April 1838 Potgieter returned to the area north of the Vaal river and founded the town of Potchefstroom . At this time, this new country included the area north (Potchefstroom) and south (Winburg) of the Vaal river. In 1848 the British Governor of the Cape, Sir Harry Smith , issued

1862-441: The newly elected Boer Volksraad appointed Piet Retief as Commandant-General. An argument between Maritz and Potgieter, both elected to the Volksraad, led to a split. Maritz and Piet Retief decided to secede from the Potgieter- and Uys-led Boer country. The Boers under the leadership of Piet Retief obtained a treaty from Zulu King Dingane to settle part of the lands the Zulus administered or held sway over, but Dingane later betrayed

1911-427: The north till the Olifantsrivier, then downwards to the Delagoa Bay line; to the south till the Crocodile River; to the west to Elandspruit till the 26 degrees line; east till where the Crocodile River joins the Komati River." FN states that the sale of said land was between King Masous (representative of the Zulu ) as seller; and Commandant SJZR Burg (representative of the Dutch South African nation) as buyer. A copy of

1960-456: The people wished to remain governed by Britain. Clerk however had clear instructions to establish self-rule, and with a minority Boers represented by J.H. Hofmann, agreed to a convention of independence. The State of Goosen was founded by a group of Boer Mercenaries led by Nicolaas Claudius Gey van Pittius in November 1882. It unified with Stellaland on 6 August 1883. West of the Transvaal 400 Boers allied with David Massouw, leader of

2009-403: The purpose of sustainability since grain had to be imported. The Free Burgher settlements gradually expanded towards the interior of South Africa . The United Kingdom took over from the Netherlands as the colonial power at the Cape of Good Hope in 1806. Subsequently, a number of its Dutch -speaking inhabitants trekked inland, first in smaller numbers, then in groups as large as almost

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2058-472: The river to dilute its high salt levels, thereby wasting a large quantity of this scarce resource. In 2021, a report released by the South African Human Rights Commission found the river to be polluted beyond acceptable levels, including the flow of raw sewerage into the River. The Vaal River is made up of 50 km of navigable water. The river basin thus offers a range of leisurely water activities that attract local and international tourists throughout

2107-450: The sum of 1,200,000 British pounds as recompense for the Dutch settlers' slaves. The Dutch settlers disputed the requirement that they had to lodge their claims in Britain and objected that the value of the slaves was many times the allocated amount. This caused further dissatisfaction among the Dutch settlers. Boer migrants were referred to as the Voortrekkers during the time of the Great Trek , several mass movements which occurred during

2156-416: The treaty and slaughtered Retief and 70 members of his delegation. Dingane's impis (Zulu warriors) then killed almost 300 Boers who had settled in the Natal region. After Pretorius was recruited to fill the leadership vacuum created by the deaths of Piet Retief and Maritz, he offered to negotiate for peace with Dingane if he were to restore the land he had offered to Retief. Dingane responded by attacking

2205-424: The westward flowing Vaal River is born. The river flows west into the Grootdraai Dam near Standerton , Mpumalanga . On its course to the Vaal Dam in Vereeniging, the river is joined by a number of tributaries. The Little Vaal River starts in an escarpment near Ermelo. Near Memel in the Free State is where the Klip River begins. The Watervals River begins in Secunda, Mpumalanga . The Wilge River used to meet

2254-409: The year. Activities include boating , yachting and water skiing . Deneysville is a town on the Free State side of the Vaal River and is a popular water-centre where visitors can enjoy swimming , kiteboarding , yachting , boating , catamaran cruising, jet skiing , windsurfing , snorkelling and fishing . Boer republics The Dutch East India Company (VOC) first issued land to

2303-466: Was established in 1884 on land given to the local Boers by the Zulu King Dinuzulu , the son of Cetshwayo , after he recruited local Boers to fight on his side. The Boers were promised and granted land for their services and were led by Louis Botha who would go on to prominence during the second Anglo-Boer War . This republic was later absorbed into the Transvaal/South African Republic. States were also established by other population groups, most notably

2352-424: Was established under the South Africa Act 1909 , in which the Transvaal and the Orange Free State became provinces along with the Cape and Natal. On 24 April 2014, political party Front Nasionaal (FN) submitted a land claim to the Land Claims Commissioner in Pretoria on behalf of the Afrikaner nation. The claim pertains to the land described in National Archives of South Africa R117/1846: "From Ohrigstad to

2401-425: Was named iLigwa ( Sindebele ), Ikwa or Igwa ( isiZulu ), ilikwa ( siSwati ), lekwa ( Sesotho ), or cuoa by the Khoikhoi, all referring to the plain it traverses. Historically, the river formed the northern border of Moshoeshoe I 's Basotho kingdom at its height in the mid-19th century, then became the boundary between two Boer republics : The South African Republic (later the Transvaal province) and

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