Water was the reason why Potchefstroom was founded where it still is now.
When Andries Hendrik Potgieter, the Voortrekker leader, visited the area 1835, he was impressed by the abundant water supply of the Mooi River, which he named as such. (See my article: What is good about the heritage of Potchefstroom: https://lenniegouws.co.za/what-is-good-about-the-heritage-of-potchefstroom/ ) The Mooi River winds like a life-giving artery through an area which otherwise would be very dry.
This is the first in the series of about three articles about the water history of Potchefstroom. The other two will be about the Potchefstroom Dam and the Boskop Yacht and Aquatic Club
This postcard shows a view of the Mooi River and dates from the early 1900s. Photo: Gawie van der Walt Postcard Collection
Beloved fountain
The scarce rainfall in this area does not and cannot by itself sustain the perennial stream of the Mooi River. In its catchment area there are three main fountains that augment the rain water. About 25 km upstream of Potchefstroom the fountain on the farm Gerhardminnebron yields water at a flow of 60-80 mega litres per day or 4,3 cubic metre of water per second. This fountain is regarded as the largest natural spring in the southern hemisphere. An early name for the farm was noted as “Germennebron” a variant of Gerhardminnebron. The historian, the late Prof Gert van den Bergh said that the name means the “beloved fountain of Gerhard”, the “Gerhard” being a son of Andries Hendrik Potgieter.
Further north is another fountain, known as the “Bovenste Oog van die Mooirivier.” This is situated about 5,6 km north of the Klerkskraal Dam. Furthermore, the Wonderfontein near Carletonville also contributes water via the Wonderfonteinspruit which is a tributary of the Mooi River.
This composite photo shows the dammed up fountain on the farm Gerhardminnebron, named after the fountain.
When Potgieter’s party reached the Mooi River area (he was not with them at the time), they decided to settle at what is now known as Oudedorp and Koloniesplaas and the town was proclaimed on 22 November 1838. This was about 11 km upstream of where Potchefstroom is now and was mostly an informal settlement.
Three years later they upped and removed themselves to where Potchefstroom was laid out in 1841, the reasons mostly being the fact that the terrain they initially chose was unsuitable to plant crops. During a few very wet years, seed rotted in the water-logged soil, failing to produce crops.
Water supplied by a canal
The town was properly laid out and a canal, to supply water to the new settlement, was dug. This canal left the Mooi River on its western bank approximately at the upper end of the current Potchefstroom Dam, where a weir was built. The canal was dug under supervision of GJ Kruger, who received the farms Oudedorp and Koloniesplaas, where the former settlement was, as payment. This was also to recompense him for expenses he had to incur with the digging of the canal. It was approximately 30 cm deep and 2,7 m wide.
By 1861 this canal could not anymore supply sufficient water to the town and it became necessary to dig a new canal. The tender was awarded to JC Schutte. This canal was to be 50 cm deep and 1,6 m wide. It took him four months to complete and he received £60 for his effort, at the time seen as a large sum.
This map of Potchefstroom was drawn in 1906 and shows the “old furrow” (or canal) which is the one dug in 1861. The “new furrow” is the one from the Potchefstroom Dam that supplied the Experimental Farm with water. Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
To bring the water from this main canal to the properties in town, primary canals were dug along each street that ran diagonally to the canal. From these secondary canals were dug along each street and they ran parallel with the canal.
In order to prevent damage to the canal, bridges were built across the canals that crossed Church Street (Walter Sisulu). By the end of the 1860s, seven such bridges existed between the North Bridge and the Church Square. Shop owners were permitted to build footbridges over the canal, giving access to their premises.
Early water woes
Since the early days water supply was a bone of contention. Sluice gates that did not close properly, damaged canals, stealing of water and droughts, were all reasons for the dissatisfaction. Read my article about the mills of Potchefstroom where some of these complications are discussed: https://lenniegouws.co.za/a-fresh-look-at-the-historic-mills-of-potchefstroom/
This article deals with the rise and fall of a bustling mill industry in Potchefstroom, which met its demise when, by the 1890s, the water of the Mooi River could not sustain the nine mills stretching along its banks from the North Bridge to the eastern end of Maree Street.
The Potchefstroom garrison, created after the Anglo-Boer War to house British troops, had the capacity to house 10 000 soldiers. At most times an average of 2 000 were housed here. This put a further strain on the water supply. Considering that the town, before the War, only had a population of approximately 8 000, this influx of British soldiers implied an increase of 20% to the demand for water.
After 1902 private developers received concessions to create the settlements at Vyfhoek and Mooibank, supplied with water by way of a canal system, further increasing the demand.
In 1908 the Potchefstroom Dam was built. It was known as the “Compensation Dam” since it was, amongst other reasons, built so that riparian owners downstream from Potchefstroom could be compensated for the large body of water removed from the river by the town and the Vyfhoek and Mooibank settlements. It also supplied water for the Experimental Farm (now Potchefstroom Agricultural College), that was founded in 1902. (Read my article about the street named after its first principal Alex Holm at: https://lenniegouws.co.za/street-names-reflect-history-1/ )
The Dam was not only built for utilitarian reasons but also as a place of recreation for the residents of Potchefstroom.
This photo of the Potchefstroom Dam appeared in Die Westelike Stem of 3 February 1932. The building to the right is the boat house and is still standing, albeit somehow altered. The photo was taken from where the restaurant was later built and aimed in the direction of the sluice gates. The structure to the left was a diving platform.
Potable water for Potch since 1924
In 1924 the Town Council decided to install the first water purifying system (3.4 Mℓ/ day) and by 1926 the town had its first piped water. This was spearheaded by Councillor Aletta Nel, who at the time, was the chairperson of the Works Committee of the Town Council. She later became the first female mayor of Potchefstroom. (See more on Aletta Nel at: https://lenniegouws.co.za/street-names-reflect-history-1/ )
Geoffrey Jenkins wrote about this:
In 1924 a scheme was passed by the Town Council to supply the town with pipe water to take the place of the existing well water. The scheme cost £35,000; the reservoir for the purified water had a capacity of 750,000 gallons, the building, with all the other necessary erections being made by the contractors, GF Warren and ES Moore. The town engineer was Mr HG Luittingh, and the consulting engineer Mr W Ingham, and the local engineer Mr WD Ross.
The site of the reservoir was previously a barren koppie which has been developed since, chiefly through the labours of Mr J Kitchenbrand, Waterworks Superintendent, until it has become one of the beauty spots of an already picturesque town. The reservoir was opened in 1926 by the Administrator, Mr JH Hofmeyr.
An article in the Potchefstroom Herald of 15 June 1958 described the water-purification process. The water was then pumped from the Potchefstroom Dam:
Iron alum sulphate is added to the water, which then flows through two settling tanks, where, by means of baffles, the water is prevented from flowing directly through, thus giving the sediment time to settle. As there are four pairs of these tanks, a considerable amount of water can be treated. The water is then passed through filter-beds, composed of very fine pebbles which collect the sediment that has not yet been settled. When the filters become choked, the pebbles are not renewed, but cleaned by pumping first air, and then filtered water, through the beds from below. The former shakes up the pebbles, dislodging the sediment, which is then carried off to waste by the water.
After the water has been filtered, it passes into a large tank, beneath the floor of the building, where it undergoes its final treatment. The bacteria in the water have not been killed as yet, but this is done by dissolving chlorine gas in it. Such a minute quantity is used that the gas has no effect on human beings, and the water is now ready for consumption.
This photo, titled “The Reservoir” accompanied the article in the Herald of 15 June 1958. It shows the building at the Potchefstroom Water Works that was built in 1924 when Potchefstroom first installed a water purification system.
A further Herald article that appeared on 5 March 1993, again has the Potch Water Works as its theme. According to this a pumping station, to bring water from the Boskop canal, was only built in 1961. The facility was enlarged to process 30 mega litre per day in 1976 and again in 1984 to process 40 mega litre per day. A new facility was, at the time, under construction.
This article clarifies why the iron alum sulphate is added to the water: to aid the removal of dust particles from the water.
The canal system, which since its founding supplied water to the town, was terminated in 1972. At the time more water flowed through the canal system into the Mooi River than was used by the townspeople. The termination of the canal system caused quite a furore in town. I covered this in an article, that had initially appeared in the Herald on 28 October 2011, but was later included in my book, Stories of Potchefstroom.
A year before the canal system was terminated, this rustic photo of the main canal of Potchefstroom appeared in the student newspaper, Wapad in 1971. The canal flowed behind the Dawie du Plessis Residence (now Excelsior) on the west campus of the university. When the residence Over de Voor was built, it was named after the canal, literally meaning “over the canal”. At the time the canal played a large part in student culture.
See my articles about the canals or furrows of Potchefstroom and the role it played in student life: https://lenniegouws.co.za/andre-p-brink-die-potchefstroom-dae/ ; https://lenniegouws.co.za/magdalena-retief-memorable-tragic-voortrekker-woman/ ; https://lenniegouws.co.za/alexandra-park-the-lost-green-heart-of-potchefstroom/
By 2011 this potable water purification system has continuously been upgraded to currently produce 33.6 Mℓ/day.
An aerial view of the water works as it appeared at the beginning of the 21st century. The building in the top centre of the photo is the same as the “reservoir” mentioned above. Photo: Louis Gouws
Everybody wants a river front property
Over the years the water of the Mooi River was in constant demand by the riparian owners. The importance of having a river front to your property is demonstrated by a map of the subdivision of the farm Oudedorp, which experienced 776 subdivisions by 1950!
This plan of the subdivision of the farm Oudedorp by 1907 indicates the long thin plots in which the farm was subdivided so that owners could have a riverfront on their property and therefore access to water. This map was reproduced in Oudedorp, ontwykende wieg van Potchefstroom, by Mione du Toit, a study commissioned by the Potchefstroom branch of the Foundation Simon van der Stel.
Over-use of this water source led to many disputes and heartaches. Numerous deputations by the Potchefstroom Town Council and the Mooi River River Board approached consecutive Ministers of Irrigation for the building of another dam.
What made this whole process more complicated was the fact that six members of Parliament were involved and they had to be persuaded to agree on the matter of the fair distribution of water.
Boskop Dam would alleviate water problems
Eventually, under the direction of Adv Hans Strijdom, in 1955, it was decided to build the dam at Boskop, one of five dams in the far Western Transvaal to be built. Laws to this effect was passed in 1954 and in 1955 the government allocated £455 000 for the building of the Boskop Dam. By 1962 this was expanded to R920 000, mainly to have a house built for the water bailiff and to erect a fence around the dam. Dams were also built at Rustenburg, Swartruggens, Zeerust, Lichtenburg and Mafeking.
Even after the Boskop Dam was completed, riparian owners upstream still had problems with water supply. In 1965 the area suffered a drought and they accused each other of stealing water.
Heated meatings
A former chairperson of the Mooi River River Board, Mr Hoffie Hoffman, later remembered the heated meetings where riparian owners butted heads with officials of the Department of Public Works.
During one such meeting, held at the school at Rysmierbult, the representative of the ward where there were problems with water supply had a severe stutter. He had to state his case but could not get his words out. Mr Hoffman recalled that he would stand up and to help his words along he would slap his upper leg repeatedly. The representative of the Department of Water also stuttered and he hit the table with a loud bang. In the meantime some of the other attendees got stirred up and started shouting. “And then I as the chairperson had to bring them to order, while I had to prevent myself from laughing out loud!”
The Boskop Dam was completed a few months before 7 December 1959, when water cascaded for the first time over the twelve metre high spillway of the Dam. The Potchefstroom News of 18 December 1959 reported that the building of the Dam was a milestone in the water history of the area. Since the late Adv Hans Strijdom was the minister that greenlighted the building of the dams, it was suggested that the dam be named after him. “He was the only minister to bring the proposed new dam into the realm of practical politics,” wrote the Potchefstroom News.
When the Boskop Dam overflowed for the first time, only a few months after it was completed, The Potchefstroom News published this photo of the event on 18 December 1959. The photo was taken by the well-known Potchefstroom photographer, Alf Curado.
Potchefstroom Members of Parliament who fought for the cause included the Rev ML Fick, Mr Hubert van der Merwe and Dr Jan Steyn.
The Potchefstroom News article also published statistics on the Boskop Dam. The area the water covers when the dam is full, is 436 morgen (373,5 hectares). The height of the wall is 40 feet (12 m). Cost of the construction amounted to £750 000. Cost of the canalisation was also £750 000. At full capacity it holds 21 million m3 water.
Between 1958 and 1963 an amount of R3 250 000 was spent on the canal system below the Boskop Dam. These canals were cemented and the whole system was upgraded to where the Mooi River flows into Vaal River. A drainage canal of about one kilometre was built to protect the Mooibank Settlement from storm water entering the canal system. In some built-up areas the canals were replaced by a pipe system.
By 1961 the Potchefstroom Water Works started to receive water from the Boskop Dam, replacing the Potchefstroom Dam as its water source.
By 2011 it appeared that the canals left much to be desired. In an article in the academic journal, Contree published in 2011, E Annandale and E Nealer came to the conclusion that:
The current state of the water-transporting canal from Boskop Dam to the water purification works of Tlokwe Local Municipality leaves much to be desired and that the possible water losses into the underlying dolomite (karst) landscape and pollution of the canal cannot be resolved immediately.
This unsatisfactory state of water resources management unfortunately can lead to the outbreak of water-related diseases that might cause severe epidemics.
They found that from Boskop Dam the water destined for use by Potchefstroom’s residents as well as downstream farmers up to the Vaal River, is transported through natural gravitation in uncovered (open-on-top) cement canals through and past the city. These canals were built in 1959 over unstable ground which might cause cracks and seepage. The canals were also not properly maintained with overgrowth next to it.
A canal on the east bank of the Mooi River where it flows through a suburb. During the 2010s the canals were enlarged by heightening the banks.
Sadly the Boskop Dam did not mean all sunshine and roses to everybody. As early as July 1959 a married man from Carletonville drowned when his boat overturned on the Dam. A young Potchefstroom woman sustained severe injury after a fall near the wall. Nowadays, the Boskop Dam holds the infamous record as the dam in the North West Province with the most drownings.
A misty morning on the Boskop Dam, showing the jetty at the Boskop Yacht & Aquatic Club. The dam has become an area of outstanding natural beauty in the Potchefstroom district. Photo: Boskop Yacht & Aquatic Club
On the flip side: since it was built in the late 1950s, the Boskop Dam has been a source of much delight. Almost immediately the Boskop Yacht Club came into being and it is still a vibrant and growing club. A further article will cover its history.
Water has the ability to create extreme emotions in humans. It can be calming, soothing and stress-relieving. It can also be a tyrant and floods can cause experiences of extreme exhaustion and the testing of human abilities. Abundance of water can either be a blessing or a curse. A lack of water can cause death and those who have to fight for their rights to water, can be forceful warriors.
Selected sources:
E Annandale & E Nealer, Exploring aspects of the water history of Potchefstroom and the local management of it, New Contree, No. 62 (November 2011), p. 111-124.
WJ Badenhorst & EH Jenkins. Potchefstroom 1838-1938 (Potchefstroom, 1939).
M du Toit, Oudedorp, ontwykende wieg van Potchefstroom, (Potchefstroom, 1991).
G Jenkins, A century of history, the story of Potchefstroom (Potchefstroom, 1938),
WJ de V Prinsloo, Potchefstroom 150, (Potchefstroom, 1988).
G van den Bergh, Die geskiedenis van Potchefstroom, (Potchefstroom, 1988).
G van den Bergh and others, Transcription of information supplied during a tour organised by the Potchefstroom branch of the Foundation Simon van der Stel in March 1992.
