Vanwyksvlei or Van Wyk's Vlei (

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

for ''Van Wyk's Marsh'') is a small town in the

Northern Cape The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi T ...

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 ...

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Name

The town is named after a farmer called Van Wyk, and the Afrikaans suffix '' vlei'', meaning 'pond', 'marsh'. However, it is one of the driest places in South Africa, and the surrounding region is named the ''Dorsland'' (Afrikaans for ''Thirstland'').

History

Vanwyksvlei was founded in 1881. It later saw action in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

where two

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

es were awarded;

Harry Hampton Harry Hampton VC (14 December 1870 – 2 November 1922) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Details Hampton was bo ...

and Henry Knight were awarded the medal for gallant acts.

Vanwyksvlei Dam

The Vanwyksvlei Dam was the first (1882) state-funded dam built in South Africa.http://www.northerncape.org.za/getting_around/towns/Van%20Wyksvlei/

Name

History

Vanwyksvlei Dam

References

See also