The Wilge River ( af, Wilgerivier, meaning "willow river") is a

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 drainage ...

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. ...

in central

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 ...

. This river is important as part of the Tugela-Vaal Water Transfer Scheme where water is transferred from the Tugela River basin to the

basin. The

largemouth yellowfish The largemouth yellowfish or Vaal-Orange largemouth yellowfish (''Labeobarbus kimberleyensis'') is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. This large freshwater barb is found in southern Africa.Impson & Swarz (2007) It has long been ...

is present in the waters of the Wilge River, reaching quite a large size.

Course

Its sources are about 50 km northeast of

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, abo ...

, at the border with

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

. In its upper course the river flows roughly southwestwards from its source, then westwards while bending northwards towards Harrismith, skirting the southern end of the Platberg where there is the confluence with the Nuwejaarspruit from the left. Further north the Elands River joins its left bank. Then the Meul River and the

Cornelis River Cornelis is a Dutch form of the male given name Cornelius. Some common shortened versions of Cornelis in Dutch are Cees, Cor, Corné, Corneel, Crelis, Kees, Neel and Nelis. Cornelis (Kees) and Johannes (Jan) used to be the most common given na ...

join its right bank. It continues flowing in a NNW direction, being joined by the

Liebenbergsvlei River The Liebenbergsvlei River is a tributary of the Wilge River, flowing in the Free State province of South Africa. Lesotho Highlands Water Project The Liebenbergsvlei is a conduit for water delivered by the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The w ...

from the left, while passing near Frankfort and flowing northwestwards until it finally meets the Vaal at the

Vaal Dam The Vaal Dam in South Africa was constructed in 1938 and lies 77 km south of OR Tambo International Airport. The lake behind the dam wall has a surface area of about and is 47 meters deep. The Vaal Dam lies on the Vaal River, which is one ...

further downstream.Upper Vaal WMA 8
/ref>

Dams in its basin

Sterkfontein Dam The Sterkfontein Dam, located just outside the town of Harrismith, in the Free State, province of South Africa, is part of the Tugela-Vaal Water Project and the Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme, and located on the Nuwejaarspruit, a tributary of ...

and the

Driekloof Dam Driekloof Dam is a small section of the Sterkfontein Dam, Free State, South Africa. A section of the Sterkfontein Dam reservoir is isolated after the construction of Driekloof Dam, this small reservoir has a capacity of ., together with the Kilbur ...

, in the Nuwejaarspruit - The Sterkfontein is the third largest dam in South Africa. Practically all the water it contains is pumped up the escarpment from KwaZulu-Natal. Built before the

Lesotho Highlands Water Project The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is an ongoing water supply project with a hydropower component, developed in partnership between the governments of Lesotho and South Africa. It comprises a system of several large dams and tunnels thr ...

was developed, this was a vital source of water for

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 ...

. *

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 ...

, in the

Namahadi River The Elands River ( af, Elandsrivier) is a northward-flowing tributary of the Wilge River, part of the Vaal River basin, South Africa. Its sources are in the Mont-Aux-Sources. This river is named the Namahadi River in its uppermost section in th ...

(Elands)

Gallery

file:11 of 'History of the Boers in South Africa ... with three maps' (11191958004), crop2.jpg, The Wilge River and its tributaries on a map of 1887 file:The Second Boer War, 1899-1902 Q72297.jpg, A horse train fording the river during the Second Boer War

References

External links

{{commons category, Wilge River
Free State Region River SystemsThe Tugela-Vaal state water scheme as a bilharzia risk
Vaal River Rivers of the Free State (province)

Course

Dams in its basin

Gallery

See also

References

External links