Sand River (Free State)
Template:Geobox The Sand River (Template:Lang-af) is a river in the Free State, South Africa. It is located close to Welkom and Virginia in the gold mining center of the Free State. Its source is located close to Tweefontein NW of Ficksburg not far from the South Africa/Lesotho border, at 28°40′49″S 27°41′23″E / 28.68028°S 27.68972°E. This river is famous because of the historical Sand River Convention, an important event in South African history.
The Sand River is a tributary of the Vet, in turn a tributary of the Vaal. It is considered part of the Middle Vaal Catchment Management Area.[1]
Dams
History
The Sand River Convention was signed in a marquee on the banks of the Sand River on 17 January 1852. A monument commemorating the ceremony can today be found on the banks of the river some 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Winburg.[2]
On 25 March 25, 1900, during the guerrilla phase of the Anglo-Boer War, a Council-of-War led by the Boers that wanted to continue with the hostilities was held at a bridge over the Sand River.[3]
In 1988 the Sand River burst its banks and flooded parts of Virginia town. In 1994 the Merriespruit tailings dam disaster occurred just outside of Virginia, killing seventeen people.[4]
See also
- Sand River Convention
- Second Boer War
- List of rivers of South Africa
- List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
References
- ^ Free State Region River Systems - 2003 (PDF). Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (South Africa). March 2004. p. 28. ISBN 0620317949.
- ^ "Ventersburg - Lejweleputswa - Free State". Free State Tourism. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
- ^ The Anglo-Boer War I: Review
- ^ Wagener, F (1997). "The Merriespruit slimes dam failure: Overview and lessons learnt". SAICE Journal. 39 (3): 11–15.
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