The Pienaars River is a river in

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

. It is a tributary of the Crocodile River. A short section of this river is known as the Moretele River (i.e. approximately 20 km section between Haakdoornbult and the Klipvoor Dam). Tributaries of the Pienaars River include the Moreletaspruit (alternative spellings: Morelettaspruit, Moreleta Spruit). Note that the above-mentioned Moretele river section is 60 km away from the Moreletaspruit and these two should not be confused with one another.

Course

It originates east of

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

, City of Tshwane,

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

Province, flowing northwards into

Roodeplaat Dam Roodeplaat Dam is a concrete arch dam situated in South Africa on the Pienaars River (also known along parts of its length as the Moretele River and Moreleta Spruit), a tributary of the Crocodile River, which flows northwards into the Limpopo Ri ...

(north of

Mamelodi Mamelodi, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township set up by the then apartheid government northeast of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Etymology "Mamelodi" is the name derived from the Sepedi word with the prefix bei ...

), which is also fed by the Hartbeesspruit and its tributary, the Moreletaspruit. The semi-stagnant water here and below the dam wall harbours quantities of

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...

and its algal blooms. The river continues its northward course through the

Dinokeng Game Reserve The Dinokeng Game Reserve is a large wildlife sanctuary in the province of Gauteng, South Africa, and can be accessed via the arterial N1 route. It is a 40-minute drive from Pretoria or some 75 minutes from the O. R. Tambo Airport and Johannesb ...

, where it is joined by the Boekenhoutspruit from the east, before passing under the N1 and turning westward towards

Pienaarsrivier Pienaarsrivier is a town some due north of Pretoria, north of the Pienaars River. The river is named after Petrus Gerhardus Jacobus Pienaar Pienaar is a well-known Afrikaans surname, derived from the French '' Pinard''. It was brought to South ...

, the eponymous hamlet on its right bank, and Zaagkuilsdrift. North of Makapanstad the

Apies River __NOTOC__ The Apies River is a river that flows through the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Its source is located just south of the city (south of Erasmus Park) and it flows northward until it drains into the Pienaars River. The word "Apies" is Af ...

(or rather a short section of the

Tshwane River The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) () is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pr ...

) joins it from the south, besides the

Plat River In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and beari ...

(or Utsane) from the east. The Pienaars continues westward and is joined by the Soutpanspruit at Kgomo kgomo before it enters

Klipvoor Dam Klipvoor Dam is a concrete gravity type dam located on the Moretele River, 55 km north of Brits, North West, South Africa. It was established in 1970. The main purpose of the dam is to serve for irrigation and its hazard potential has been ...

. About 25 km further downstream it joins the Crocodile River's right bank.Crocodile/Marico WMA 3
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Gallery

Pienaarsrivier, algebloei te Buffelsdrift, herfs-2020, g.jpg, Algal bloom of

in the polluted upper reaches at Buffelsdrift Boekenhoutspruit, stroomop-uitsig van D48 af, Dinokeng, b.jpg, The Boekenhoutspruit, seen here at Dinokeng, is a right bank tributary Soutpanspruit by laagwaterbrug, b, Zoutpan.jpg, The Soutpanspruit, seen here at Tswaing, is a left bank tributary Lesser Moorhen, Kgomo Kgomo, South Africa.jpg, The Kgomo kgomo floodplain attracts seasonal waterbirds

Dams in the Pienaars River

* Waterlake Farm Dam *

References

{{reflist

External links

Overview of the Crocodile (West)/Marico Water Management Area
Crocodile River (Limpopo) Rivers of Limpopo Rivers of Gauteng