The Vaal River, South Africa’s longest river after the Orange, is a key water source for the country.
Its source is at Klipkapstel in Mpumalanga from where it flows to Douglas in the Northern Cape. Here it meets the mighty Orange River, which flows west into the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay.
The Vaal River, meaning ‘drab’ or ‘dull’ in Dutch because of its brown-grey colour, is divided into three catchment areas – the Upper Vaal, Middle Vaal and the Lower Vaal.
The Vaal Dam, near Vereeniging, has an 880km shoreline spanning 3 provinces, and is a favourite water sports playground offering canoeing, paddle-boating, power-boating, jet- skiing, and fishing, among other water sports.
