Vaalwater

Last updated
Vaalwater
R517 in Vaalwater, Limpopo, a.jpg
R33 in Vaalwater
South Africa Limpopo location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Vaalwater
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Vaalwater
Coordinates: 24°17′S28°6′E / 24.283°S 28.100°E / -24.283; 28.100
Country South Africa
Province Limpopo
District Waterberg
Municipality Modimolle–Mookgophong
Area
[1]
  Total10.51 km2 (4.06 sq mi)
Population
 (2011) [1]
  Total3,964
  Density380/km2 (980/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
   Black African 87.4%
   Coloured 0%
   Indian 0.25%
   White 12%
First languages (2011)
[1]
   Sepedi 64.3%
   Afrikaans 11.3%
   Tsonga 7,9%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
PO box
8888
Area code 014

Vaalwater is a small town situated on the Mokolo River in the Limpopo province of South Africa.

Contents

Geography

Location

The town, unlike other towns in the Limpopo province, is not located on a national road, of which the nearest one is at Nylstroom/Modimolle. It does however lie halfway on a road stretching from Nylstroom/Modimolle to Ellisras/Lephalale (the R33 Route). Nearby towns also include Hermanusdorings, Melkrivier, Palala and Naboomspruit.

Geography

Sandrivier range of the central Waterberg, 15 km south of Vaalwater Sandrivierberge in Waterberg, Vaalwater, b.jpg
Sandrivier range of the central Waterberg, 15 km south of Vaalwater

It lies at the southern edge of the rugged Waterberg Massif, which is a biosphere that contains considerable biodiversity, including numerous large mammals (e.g. Giraffe, White Rhino, Blue Wildebeest). Waterberg is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff and butte landform. [2]

Economy

Tourism

Vaalwater is a popular jumping-off point for travels to the Waterberg Massif and Botswana and is itself becoming a minor destination for tourism. There are a variety of craft, art, and gift shops, as well as cafes and restaurants. Vaalwater is also home to some of the most magnificent game farms and eco-tourism in the country. Many of the game farms host the Big Five, and nature-lovers will find the mountains, bush and wildlife worth the visit.

Services

Vaalwater has a number of commercial services not common for kilometres around, especially on roads leading to Botswana. These include banking, groceries, petrol and diesel, a post office, and doctors.

Name

In 2006, Vaalwater was officially renamed Mabatlane, but reverted to Vaalwater in 2007 after it became evident that the proper renaming procedures had not been followed.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limpopo River</span> River in southern Africa

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 mountainous vicinity and named the area after their leader. The river has been called the Vhembe by local Venda communities of the area where now that name has been adopted by the South African government as its District Municipality in the north, a name that was also suggested in 2002 as a possible title for the province but was voted against. The river is approximately 1,750 km (1,090 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 415,000 km2 (160,000 sq mi) in size. The mean discharge measured over a year is 170 m3/s (6,000 cu ft/s) to 313 m3/s (11,100 cu ft/s) at its mouth. The Limpopo is the second largest African river that drains to the Indian Ocean, after the Zambezi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transvaal (province)</span> 1910–1994 province of South Africa

The Province of the Transvaal, commonly referred to as the Transvaal, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" refers to the province's geographical location to the north of the Vaal River. Its capital was Pretoria, which was also the country's executive capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limpopo</span> Northernmost province of South Africa

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 situated in Lebowakgomo.

Modimolle, formerly known as Nylstroom, is a town located near the southern edge of the Waterberg Massif in Limpopo province, South Africa. It is a medium-sized town that focuses primarily on agriculture and farming as well as wildlife and tourism. Nylstroom is also located approximately 135 kilometres north of Pretoria, South Africa's capital city.

Lephalale, formerly known as Ellisras, is a coal mining town in the Limpopo province of South Africa immediately east of the Waterberg Coalfield. The town was established as Ellisras in 1960 and named after Patrick Ellis and Piet Erasmus who settled on a farm there in the 1930s. In 2002, Ellisras was renamed Lephalale by the provincial government of Limpopo, after the main river that crosses the municipality. Lephalale is derived from the setswana language meaning "to flow".

Bela-Bela - formly known as Warmbaths, Afrikaans: Warmbad- is a town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Deriving its name from the geothermic hot springs around which the town was built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mokopane</span> Place in Limpopo, South Africa

Mokopane, formerly known as Potgietersrus, is a town in the Limpopo province of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushveld</span> Sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa

The Bushveld is a sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa. The ecoregion straddles the Tropic of Capricorn and constitutes the southern part of the Zambezian region. It encompasses most of Limpopo and a small part of North West in South Africa, the Central and North-East Districts of Botswana and the Matabeleland South and part of Matabeleland North provinces of Zimbabwe. The Kruger National Park has a number of 'Bushveld' camps, but these are strictly speaking in the lowveld, as these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Although their limits are somewhat blurred, lowveld is generally restricted to the more easterly parts of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterberg District Municipality</span> District Municipality in Limpopo, South Africa

The Waterberg District Municipality is one of the 5 districts of the Limpopo province of South Africa. The seat is Modimolle. As of 2016, the majority of its 745,758 residents spoke Sepedi, also known as Northern Sotho. The district code is DC36.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterberg Biosphere</span> Biosphere reserve in South Africa

The Waterberg is a mountainous massif of approximately 654,033 hectare in north Limpopo Province, South Africa. The average height of the mountain range is 600 m with a few peaks rising up to 2,000 m above sea level. Vaalwater town is located just north of the mountain range. The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff and butte landform. The ecosystem can be characterised as a dry deciduous forest or Bushveld. Within the Waterberg there are archaeological finds dating to the Stone Age, and nearby are early evolutionary finds related to the origin of humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mokolo River</span> River in Limpopo Province, South Africa

The Mokolo River is a major watercourse in Limpopo Province of South Africa. This river collects much of the drainage of the Waterberg Massif and discharges it to the Limpopo River. The river's catchment area comprises 8,387 square kilometres (3,238 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palala River</span> River in Limpopo Province, South Africa

The Palala or Lephalala River, also called the Rhooebok-river by Thomas Baines, is a river in South Africa. This river's catchment basin is a sub-watershed of the Limpopo River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alma, South Africa</span> Place in Limpopo, South Africa

Alma is a small town situated south of Vaalwater in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The area is surrounded by green-gray bushveld vegetation and a few private game reserves are located in the malaria free area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marakele National Park</span> National Park that is part of the Waterberg Biosphere in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Marakele National Park is a National Park, part of the Waterberg Biosphere in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyl River</span> River in Limpopo Province, South Africa

The Nyl River is a watercourse in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It flows at the head of the Mogalakwena River, being its southernmost tributary or uppermost section. It is located near Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) in the northern part of the Springbok Flats, a particular geological formation.

The Waterberg Coalfield is an extensive deposit of coal in the Ellisras Basin in South Africa, lying mostly in the Waterberg District Municipality of the Limpopo province. Mining is increasing, both for export and for local power production, and industry in the region is expected to expand. This may have significant impact on the dry and fragile Limpopo basin ecosystems.

The Exxaro Solar Power Station, also Lephalale Solar Power Station, is a planned 80 MW (110,000 hp) solar power plant in South Africa. The solar farm is under development by Cennergi, a subsidiary of Exxaro Resources Limited, a South African multinational mining group, active in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. The energy generated here will be sold to Exxaro Coal Plc, for use in their coal mine at Grootegeluk, under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), between the two Exxaro subsidiaries. The expected benefits to the group include (a) reduction of the group's carbon footprint (b) financial savings on energy acquisition and utilization and (c) to provide green, secure and sustainable electricity for mine operations at Grootegeluk Coal Mine.

The Mogalakwena Solar Power Station is a planned 100 MW (130,000 hp) solar power plant in South Africa. The solar farm is under development by a consortium comprising Pele Green Energy, a South African independent power producer (IPP) and EDF Renewables, a subsidiary of the French energy multinational Électricité de France (EDF). The energy generated here will be used to supply the Mogalakwena platinum mine of Anglo American Platinum, in Limpopo Province.

Marlene van Staden was a South African politician who was the mayor of the Modimolle–Mookgophong Local Municipality from 2016 to 2023. She was a member of the Democratic Alliance.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Vaalwater". Census 2011.
  2. "C.Michael Hogan, Mark L. Cooke and Helen Murray, The Waterberg Biosphere, Lumina Technologies, May 22, 2006". Archived from the original on March 24, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2010.