This is for the river, for the extraterrestrial robot deity see The Apple (Star Trek)

The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source in the Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga, east of Johannesburg and about 30 km north of Clarens in the Free State at a source known as the Ash River. It then flows southwest to its conjunction with the Orange River southwest of Kimberley in the Northern Cape. It is 1120km in length, and forms the border between Mpumalanga, Gauteng and North West Province on its north bank, and the Free State on its south.

Importance to industry and agriculture

Water is drawn from the Vaal to meet the industrial needs of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area and a large part of the Free State Province. As a part of the Vaal-Hartz Scheme it is a major source of water for irrigation. Water drawn from the Vaal supports 12 Million consumers in Gauteng and surrounding areas.

History

Vaal is a Dutch name (later Afrikaans), translated by the Griquas or Boers from an earlier Kora Khoikhoi name Tky-Gariep (/hei !garib, drab river). Both Vaal and Tky mean "drab" or "dull", which alludes to the colour of its waters, especially noticed during flood season when much silt is carried. In the upper reaches the river was named Likwa (Sindebele), Ikwa (isiZulu), Êjkwa (siSwati) or cuoa by the Khoikhoi, all referring to the plain it traverses.

Historically, the river formed the boundary between two Boer republics, and later provinces, Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The geographic name Transvaal comes from the name of this river, meaning "Beyond the Vaal river". This was in respect to the Cape Colony and Natal, which were the main areas of European settlement at the time, and lay south of the Vaal.

References

• State of the Environment of South Africa (SOESA), Annual National State of the Environment Report

Notes