The Elands River ( af, Elandsrivier) is a northward-flowing

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

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 ...

, part of the

Vaal River The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) 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 north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Ocean. ...

basin,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. Its sources are in the Mont-Aux-Sources. This river is named the Namahadi River in its uppermost section in the area of the

Fika-Patso Dam Fika-Patso Dam is a combined earth-fill/rock-fill type dam located on the Namahadi River, the uppermost section of the Elands River, a tributary of the Wilge River. It is located near Phuthaditjhaba, Free State, South Africa. It was establishe ...

. It flows roughly northwards, through

Phuthaditjhaba Phuthaditjhaba (formerly Witsieshoek or Qwaqwa) is a town in the Free State province of South Africa. Phuthaditjhaba is a seSotho name that means ''meeting place of the tribes''. It is located on the banks of the Elands River.Harrismith Harrismith is a large town in the Free State province of South Africa. It was named for Sir Harry Smith, a 19th-century British governor and high commissioner of the Cape Colony. It is situated by the Wilge River, alongside the N3 highway, ab ...

. Formerly this river had been known as Donkin River, after

Rufane Shaw Donkin Lieutenant-General Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin (17721 May 1841), was a British army officer of the Napoleonic era and later Member of Parliament. Background Rufane Donkin came of a military family and was the eldest child of General Robert Donkin, w ...

, who administered the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with t ...

from 1820 to 1821.Dictionary of Southern African Place Names
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References

External links

Free State Region River Systems
Drakensberg Rivers of the Free State (province) {{SouthAfrica-river-stub

See also

References

External links