The Sand River or Polokwane River ( af, Sandrivier) is a watercourse in

Limpopo Province Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

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 ...

, a right hand tributary of the

Limpopo River The Limpopo River rises in South Africa and flows generally eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers led by Hosi Rivombo who settled in the mountaino ...

. Its new name "Polokwane River" is homonymous with the name of the town of

Polokwane Polokwane (, meaning "Sanctuary" in Northern SothoPolokwane - The Heart of the Limpopo Province ...

, formerly Pietersburg, about upriver from its mouth. The Sand River flows by the western edge of this town.

Course

It has its source south of

Mokopane Mokopane, also known as Potgietersrus, is a town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The town name was changed to Mokopane in 2003 in honour of a local Ma Nrebele leader, King Mghombane Gheghana , who ruled the area before being conquered ...

and flows northwards across central Limpopo Province until it cuts across the

Soutpansberg The Soutpansberg, (formerly ''Zoutpansberg'') meaning "Salt Pan Mountain" in Afrikaans, is a range of mountains in far northern South Africa. It is located in Vhembe District, Limpopo. It is named for the salt pan ( ve, Thavha ya muno, or "plac ...

through a deep gorge, the Waterpoort. Then it meanders northwards across the

Lowveld Veld ( or ), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide open rural landscape in :Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswa ...

until it joins the right bank of the Limpopo east of

Musina Musina (; formerly Messina) is the northernmost town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It is located near the confluence of the Limpopo River with the Sand River and the border to Zimbabwe. It has a population of between 20,000 and 40, ...

. Although considered a

perennial stream A perennial stream is a stream that has continuous flow of surface water throughout the year in at least parts of its catchment during seasons of normal rainfall, Water Supply Paper 494. as opposed to intermittent river, one whose flow is interm ...

it is often dry in the winter. The

veld Veld ( or ), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide open rural landscape in :Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Bots ...

in the Sand River basin has suffered much degradation, mainly due to

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

. There are some

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

zones in the basin. These areas are an important

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

for certain rare or endangered plants, as well as frog and bird species. There are 18 mines in the Sand River basin.

Dams and tributaries

The only relatively large dam in the Sand River basin is the

Mathala Dam The mridangam is a percussion instrument of ancient origin. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion instrument. A related instrument is the ...

, also known as ''Houtrivier Dam'', on the Hout River, a left hand tributary of the Sand. The

Diep River Diep River (Afrikaans ''Dieprivier''), drains the area between the Kasteel Mountain (north of Malmesbury) and the northern slopes of the Durbanville Hills, in the Western Cape, a province of South Africa South Africa, officially the Repu ...

meets the right bank of the Sand River northeast of Polokwane town. The Mulaudzi River, also known as "Blood River", joins the Sand River from the left just north of Polokwane. The

Seshego Dam Seshego is a township in the Polokwane Local Municipality of the Capricorn District Municipality of the Limpopo province of the Republic of South Africa. The township lies directly northwest of the city of Polokwane. History Between 1972 and 197 ...

is a small dam on the Mulaudzi.Polokwane Municipality
/ref> The

Brak River The Brak River ( af, Brakrivier) is a river located in northern Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is a tributary of the Polokwane River. Course The Brak River starts on the east of the Makgabeng Plateau and flows north-northeast until reaching ...

is an

intermittent stream Intermittent, temporary or seasonal rivers or streams cease to flow every year or at least twice every five years.(Tzoraki et al., 2007) Such rivers drain large arid and semi-arid areas, covering approximately a third of the earth's surface. ...

flowing between the Blouberg and the

, joining the left bank of the Sand River about from the Limpopo River.

References

{{reflist

External links

The Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902 - The Far North-Western FrontOld & New Place Names in South AfricaLimpopo WMA1
Rivers of Limpopo Tributaries of the Limpopo River

Course

Dams and tributaries

See also

References

External links