The Bronkhorst Spruit, meaning ''
watercress stream'' or ''creek'', is a river in the
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...
and
Gauteng provinces of
South Africa. In the 19th century it as was known as the Kalkoenkransrivier or Rhenosterpoortrivier. It is a tributary of the
Wilge River
The Wilge River ( af, Wilgerivier, meaning "willow river") is a tributary of the Vaal River in central South Africa. This river is important as part of the Tugela-Vaal Water Transfer Scheme where water is transferred from the Tugela River basin t ...
in the
Olifants River basin, and it lends its name to the town of
Bronkhorstspruit, situated mainly on its right bank.
Course
Its sources are located in the
highveld grasslands
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natural ...
of western Mpumalanga, about 30 km to the ESE of
Springs, Gauteng
Springs is a former independent city that is now part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, City of Ekurhuleni, based in the east of Johannesburg East Rand, (East Rand), in Gauteng Province, South Africa. It lies 50 km (31 mi) ea ...
. It flows generally northwards and its main tributary, the
Delmas River, joins its left bank. Further downstream it flows into the
Bronkhorstspruit Dam
Bronkhorstspruit Dam is a concrete-arch type dam on the Bronkhorst Spruit, near Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1950 and its main purpose is for domestic supply and industrial use.
The lake's shores are home to numer ...
, situated in eastern Gauteng. Then before it bends northeastwards it passes by the Bronkhorstspruit urban area. It finally has a confluence with the Wilge River some 10 km east of the town, at Premiermyn Dam, Gauteng.
History
When a group of
Voortrekkers arrived at it in 1858, they called it the Kalkoenkransrivier, suggesting a breeding site of
bald ibis
__NOTOC__
The small bird genus ''Geronticus'' belongs to the ibis subfamily (Threskiornithinae). Its name is derived from the Greek ''gérontos'' (γέρωντος, "old man") in reference to the bald head of these dark-plumaged birds; in Englis ...
, and on Merensky's map of 1875 it (including the current lower Wilge) is the Rhenosterpoortrivier.
In 1880 this river was the scene of the
action at Bronkhorstspruit
The Battle of Bronkhorstspruit was the first major engagement of the First Boer War. It took place by the Bronkhorst Spruit (river), a few kilometres east of the town of Bronkhorstspruit, Transvaal on 20 December 1880.
Background
On 12 April 187 ...
, a battle between a Boer commando under the command of Frans Joubert and British troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Anstruther. It was one of the first serious clashes in the early days of the
First Boer War.
[Castle, Ian. ''Majuba 1881: The Hill of Destiny.'' Oxford, Osprey Publishing, 1996, ]
Dams in the river
*
Bronkhorstspruit Dam
Bronkhorstspruit Dam is a concrete-arch type dam on the Bronkhorst Spruit, near Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1950 and its main purpose is for domestic supply and industrial use.
The lake's shores are home to numer ...
*
Premiermyn Dam
See also
*
List of rivers of South Africa
*
List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
References
{{reflist
External links
The Olifants River Basin, South AfricaOlifants River CatchmentChannel Slopes in the Olifants, Crocodile and Sabie River Catchments
Olifants River (Limpopo)
Rivers of Gauteng
Rivers of Mpumalanga