35-459: Klerkskraal Dam is a combined gravity and arch type dam located on the Mooi River , near Ventersdorp , North West , South Africa . It was established in 1969 and its main purpose is to serve for irrigation. The hazard potential of the dam has been ranked high (3). The dam is also a well known bass fishing destination in the region. The construction of the dam was completed in 1969, the area behind
70-606: A gold medal at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics in the marathon . McArthur was known in his home village of North Antrim for his training routine, which consisted of racing a narrow-gauge train. Potchefstroom is home to five tertiary institutions, 30 other schools and a number of research bureaus and training centres, including: Public primary and high schools in Potchefstroom's townships include Boitirelo Primary School, Lesego Primary School, Boitshoko High School, Tlokwe High School and Hoerskool Ferdinand Postma Potchefstroom, known as
105-400: A population of 128,357 in the 2007 community survey. Of these, 69.6 percent were White, 27.0 percent were Black, three percent were Coloureds and 0.4 percent were Asian. However, the city itself and surrounding suburbs have a population of 43,448, of which 69.9 percent are White, 25.4 percent are Black, 2.8 percent were Coloured and 1.3 percent were Asian. Ken McArthur of Potchefstroom won
140-540: Is a home away from home for international athletes and teams. At 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) altitude, it provides a good balance between altitude and quality training. The city has no large factories, and good air quality. Athletes and professional teams train at the North-West University's High Performance Institute of Sport. Cricket is popular, with Senwes Park the home ground of the Highveld Lions . During
175-475: Is unknown as the area was flooded when Boskop dam was built making it very difficult to locate and observe. The dry springs were a result of dewatering the aquifers that fed the eyes to make way for gold mining in the Far West Rand. There are 3 primary tributaries all joining from the east they are Wonderfonteinspruit, Loopspruit and Rooikraalspruit. There are several perennial streams and drainage canals along
210-598: The 2003 Cricket World Cup , Potchefstroom hosted matches between Australia and the Netherlands , Australia and Namibia , and South Africa and Kenya . Potchefstroom co-hosted the 2009 Cricket World Cup Qualifier . The South Africa national cricket team has regularly chosen Potchefstroom for off-season training and has hosted the Australian team's off-season cricket camps. During the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Australia's cricket team chose Potchefstroom as their home base and won
245-879: The Klerkskraal Dam , Boskop Dam and the Potchefstroom Dam . After crossing the town of Potchefstroom it bends southwestwards, shortly bending westwards before it empties into the Vaal River near the border with the Free State , about 15 km east of Stilfontein . Its main tributaries are the Wonderfonteinspruit (Mooirivierloop) and the Loop Spruit. The waters of the Mooi River and its reservoirs are polluted with heavy metals in its mid and lower course because of
280-660: The Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University . Potchefstroom is on the Mooirivier ( Afrikaans for "pretty river"), roughly 120 km (75 mi) west-southwest of Johannesburg and 45 km (28 mi) east-northeast of Klerksdorp . Several theories exist about the origin of the city's name. According to one theory, it originates from Potgieter + Chef + stroom (referring to Voortrekker leader and town founder Andries Potgieter ; "chef" indicates
315-464: The Potchefstroom Campus ' Varsity Cup matches. PUC McArthur Stadium, the athletics stadium, was renovated for the fourth time in 2014. Built in 1892, it was named in honour of 1912 Olympic marathon gold medalist Ken McArthur . Noted local athletes include Godfrey Khotso Mokoena , the silver medalist in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games , Hezekiél Sepeng , Jorrie Muller , Justine Robbeson and Ryan Diedericks . The visit of
350-671: The Sand River Convention was signed between Andries Pretorius (representing the Boers) and Major W. S. Hogge and C. M. Owen (representing Britain). According to the convention, the British government would allow the immigrant farmers north of the Vaal River to govern themselves with no interference from either side. This signalled the establishment of the Zuid-Afrikaanse Republiek (ZAR) ( South African Republic ). In Article 17 of
385-607: The Spain national football team during the 2010 FIFA World Cup brought a new level of sport to Potchefstroom and the NWU. Spain, who won their inaugural FIFA World Cup title, chose Potchefstroom as their base camp. A new sports complex was built at the North-West University for the team. Mayor Maphetle Maphetle of the African National Congress was dismissed in late 2012 after a motion of no confidence passed, and Annette Combrink of
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#1733085560098420-537: The Sweet thorn and Haak-en-steek ( Acacia tortilis ) The dam is surrounded by at least 7 karst springs of which only 2 have a permanent flow throughout the year, the others are false eyes, only flowing in summer after the rains. The main eye is known as Bovenste Oog which draws water from the Turffontein compartment. The dam is very popular amongst bass anglers with boats or inflatables. As most anglers only target bass at
455-474: The Wonderfonteinspruit up to where it disappears into the ground, but there are no known samples from the Mooi River itself. The river and its surroundings harbour a rich bird population of over 250 recorded species including African Fish Eagle, Martial Eagle, Ostrich, Secretarybird, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Grey Hornbill, Meyers Parrot, Kori Bustard, Giant Eagle Owl to name a few. The main dams in
490-730: The Constitution of the ZAR dated 18 February 1858 (which was accepted in Rustenburg), it was stated that "Potchefstroom, located on the Mooi River, would be the capital of the Republic and that Pretoria would be the seat of government". In May 1860, Potchefstroom became the "chief city" of the republic and the capital moved to Pretoria . On 16 December 1880, the First Boer War began when the Boers laid siege to
525-564: The Largemouth Yellowfish ( Labeobarbus kimberleyensis ) have been recorded in the last 40 years in the upper and middle Mooi River or its tributaries but there's a strong possibility that they do occur in the river close to its mouth on the Vaal river. Mozambique Tilapia ( Oreochromis mossambicus ), Redbreast Tilapia ( Coptodon rendalli ), Blue (Israeli) Tilapia ( Oreochromis aureus ) and Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) occur in
560-480: The Mooi River and its tributaries are Donaldson Dam , Klipdrift Dam , Klerkskraal Dam , Boskop Dam and Potchefstroom Dam Potchefstroom Potchefstroom ( locally / ˈ p ɒ tʃ ɛ f s t r ʊər m / POTCH -ef-stroorm ; Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˌpɔtʃɛfˈstruəm] ), colloquially known as Potch , is an academic city in the North West Province of South Africa . It hosts
595-524: The North West Province's "Home of Sport", is the provincial headquarters of 17 major sports. The city council emphasises the establishment, maintenance and upgrading of its sports facilities, particularly to meet the sporting and recreational needs of its youth. The Mooi River and other trails add colour and variety to facilities available to residents and tourists. Potchefstroom has hosted two World Cup-winning teams (in cricket and football ), and
630-512: The appearance of "Potjestroom" on many documents and photographs. The African National Congress decided to change the name of the municipality and some street names in 2006, favouring "Tlokwe" as the new name. In 2007, its name was changed from Potchefstroom Municipality to Tlokwe Municipality . However, the city continued to use the name Potchefstroom. The Tlokwe Municipality merged with the Ventersdorp Municipality in 2016, forming
665-401: The area. African Fish Eagle and Martial Eagle are residents at the dam and its surrounding area as well as Cape Clawless Otters, Warthog, Common Duiker, Steenbok, Caracal, Black backed Jackal, Cape Fox, Cape Porcupine, Honey Badger, Aardvark, Aardwolf, Cape Pangolin, African Hedgehog and Striped Polecat. Nile and Rock Monitor lizards, African Rock Python, African Bullfrog can also be seen around
700-1119: The banks. Notable rivers and streams in the Mooi Rivers watershed include Wonderfonteinspruit, Loopspruit, Rooikraalspruit, Enselspruit, Taaiboschspruit, Leeuspruit, Tweeloopiespruit, Mooirivierloop and Spekspruit. Fish species found in the river include Small mouth Yellowfish ( Labeobarbus aeneus ), Orange River Mudfish ( Labeo capensis ), Moggel ( Labeo umbratus ), Sharptooth Catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ), Banded Tilapia ( Tilapia sparrmanii ), Southern Mouthbrooder ( Pseudocrenilabrus philander ), Three spot Barb ( Enteromius trimaculatus ) , Chubbyhead Barb ( Enteromius anoplus ) , Straight-fin Barb ( Enteromius paludinosus ) , Western Mosquitofish ( Gambusia affinis ) , Common Carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) , Smallmouth Bass ( Micropterus dolomieu ) , Swordtail ( Xiphophorus hellerii ) , Largemouth Bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) , Grass Carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ) , Rock Catfish ( Austroglanis sclateri ) , Canary Kurper Chetia flaviventris ) . No known sightings of
735-690: The capital moved to Pretoria . The river and its main tributary the Wonderfonteinspruit were named by early settlers and owe their names to the abundance of karst springs that were found along their banks. Most popular ones include Klerkskraal eyes (still active) Bovenste Oog (still active), Oog van Gerhard Minnebron (still active), Boskop eye (status unknown), Turffontein eyes (still active), Oog van Wonderfonteinspruit (dry), Oberholzer Oog (dry), Bank eyes (dry) and Venterspos eye (dry). Of these springs only Klerkskraal eye (which comprises one permanent spring and several perennial springs), Bovenste Oog and Oog van Gerhard Minnebron still flow. The status of Boskop eye
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#1733085560098770-439: The dam flooded quicker than anticipated thanks to heavy rainfall in the area resulting in a stronger discharge from the two major springs flowing into the dam and discharge from several perennial springs around the dam. The quicker flooding meant the area couldn't be cleared properly before the reservoir filled up, resulting in structures such as an old road, telephone poles and the old farm house structure being flooded and remain in
805-617: The dam, the carp and catfish have grown to massive sizes. The dam wall has a valve connecting the reservoir to an irrigation canal for farms downstream of the dam. Mooi River (Vaal) The Mooi River ( Afrikaans : Mooirivier ) is a river in North West Province, South Africa . It is a tributary of the Vaal River and belongs to the Upper Vaal Water Management Area . The Mooi rises near Koster and flows southwards. During its course it flows into
840-460: The dam. The dam is completely surrounded with reeds (Phragmites mauritianus) with the exception of 5 or 6 narrow openings only wide enough to launch a boat. The dam also has dense patches of Potamogeton pectinatus, Lagarosiphon verticilifolia, Lagarosiphon major, Hydrilla verticillata, Elodea canadensis, Myriophyllum spicatum. The area surrounding the dam is typical Highveld grassland with scattered acacia trees ( Vachellia karroo ), commonly known as
875-490: The following sites have been placed on the municipality's provisional list: Potchefstroom is an industrial, service and agricultural growth point of North West province. Industries include steel, food, and chemical processing. The chicken industry is important, and companies around the city include Chubby Chick, Serfontein Poultry, Haagner's Poultry, Crown Chicken and Highveld Egg Cooperative. The city plays an important role with
910-461: The large gold and uranium mining operations in the basin. In November 1838 Voortrekker leader Andries Hendrik Potgieter and his followers established the first permanent European settlement north of the Vaal by the banks of the Mooi River, founding the town of Potchefstroom . The city was named in Potgieter's honor and was the capital of the former South African Republic until May 1860, when
945-597: The larger JB Marks Local Municipality . Potchefstroom, founded in 1838 by the Voortrekkers , is the second-oldest European settlement in the Transvaal . The oldest European settlement is Klerksdorp , about 40 km (25 mi) west. Some historians challenge this, because the first settlement was in the "upper regions of the Schoon Spruit" (believed to have been between Klerksdorp and Potchefstroom). However, Potchefstroom
980-613: The leader of the Voortrekkers, and "stroom" refers to the Mooi River ). Geoffrey Jenkins writes, "Others however, attribute the name as having come from the word 'Potscherf', meaning a shard of a broken pot, due to the cracks that appear in the soil of the Mooi River Valley during drought resembling a broken pot". M. L. Fick suggests that Potchefstroom developed from the abbreviation of "Potgieterstroom" to "Potgerstroom", which became "Potchefstroom". However, this does not account for
1015-516: The old fort, then occupied by British forces. The siege ended amicably on 23 March 1881. During the Second Boer War , the British established a concentration camp in Potchefstroom for Afrikaner civilians, primarily women and children, who were captured in the Boer republics by British forces as part of a scorched earth campaign. At the opening of the city hall in 1909, colonial secretary Jan Smuts
1050-527: The opposition Democratic Alliance was elected mayor. Three months later a motion of no confidence removed Combrink, and Maphetle was reinstated. Since then, municipal-council and mayoral elections have been keenly contested. Since the Heritage Resources Act of 1999, monuments are classified as grade I (national), II (provincial) and III (local). Many national monuments were downgraded to grade II. Although Potchefstroom has no local heritage sites,
1085-677: The reservoir till this day. Indigenous fish species in the dam include Sharptooth Catfish (clarias gariepinus), Orange River Mudfish (labeo capensis), Moggel (labeo umbratus), Banded Tilapia (tilapia sparrmanii), Southern Mouthbrooder ( pseudocrenilabrus philander), Three spot Barb (e nteromius trimaculatus), Chubbyhead Barb (e nteromius anoplus), Straight-fin Barb (e nteromius paludinosus) and Smallmouth Yellowfish (labeobarbus aeneus) and species introduced include Common Carp (cyprinus carpio), Largemouth Bass (micropterus dolomieu), Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii) and Western Mosquitofish (gambusia affinis). 236 grassland and wetland birds can be seen in
Klerkskraal Dam - Misplaced Pages Continue
1120-547: The stadium for some matches. Profert Olën Park was named after Carl Ludwig Theodor Olën , president of the Western Transvaal Rugby Union between 1922 and 1934. Profert , a local fertiliser company, maintains the playing field. The Absa Puk Oval is on the North-West University campus. The university sport grounds is known as the Fanie du Toit Sports Complex. The main rugby field has hosted several Leopards games and
1155-706: The tournament. Rugby is arguably Potchefstroom's most popular sport. Olën Park , the main rugby stadium, is primarily used for rugby union matches by the Leopards in the Vodacom Cup and the first division of the Currie Cup . The stadium is also used for football matches, and has hosted the South Africa under-23 team . Jomo Cosmos , a Premier Soccer League , team relegated to the National First Division , also uses
1190-555: Was asked about the possibility of Potchefstroom becoming capital of the Union. He replied that the city stood no chance, but should aim to be South Africa's largest educational centre. This has led to Potchefstroom's being the "city of expertise", with numerous tertiary educational institutions. It has hosted the annual late-September Aardklop Arts Festival, a predominantly-Afrikaans arts festival, since 1997. The Potchefstroom Municipality, which encompasses several neighbouring settlements, had
1225-492: Was the first to develop into a town. Until 1840, the towns of Potchefstroom and Winburg and their surrounding territories were a Boer Republic known as the Republic of Winburg-Potchefstroom. Voortrekker leader Andries Hendrik Potgieter was elected as chief commandant. In October 1840, after a meeting between Potgieter, Andries Pretorius and G. R. van Rooyen, it was decided that Potchefstroom would unite with "Pieter Mouriets Burg" ( Pietermaritzburg ). On 16–17 January 1852,
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