Wilge River (Olifants)

This article is about the river of the Olifants River (Lepelle) system. For the tributary of the Vaal River, see Wilge River.

The Wilge River (iKuthu) is a river in Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces, South Africa. It is a tributary of the Olifants River.

Wilge River iKuthu
Upper reaches near Bronkhorstspruit
Location of the Wilge River mouth
Etymology	From wilg, the word for 'willow' in Afrikaans[1] iKuthu in Southern Ndebele
Native name	iKuthu (Southern Ndebele)
Location
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng and Mpumalanga
Physical characteristics
Source	Witwatersrand
• location	Near Leandra
• elevation	1,640 m (5,380 ft)
Mouth	Olifants River (Limpopo)
• location	SW of Loskop Dam
• coordinates	25°34′35″S 29°11′10″E
• elevation	1,127 m (3,698 ft)

Course

The Wilge River has its origin about 15 km WNW of Leandra, in the highveld grasslands between this town and Springs, Gauteng.^[2] It flows roughly northwards until it is joined by its main tributary, the Bronkhorstspruit, that joins its left bank about 25 km downstream of Bronkhorstspruit town. Then it flows in a northeastern direction until it joins the Olifants about 12 km upstream from the head of the Loskop Dam reservoir.^[3]

Other tributaries of the Wilge are the Kendal and the Devon River.^[4]

See also

• List of rivers of South Africa
• List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa

References

1. Dictionary of Southern African Place Names
2. The Olifants River System
3. Olifants WMA 4
4. Wilge River Basin

External links

• The Olifants River Basin, South Africa
• Olifants River Catchment
• Channel Slopes in the Olifants, Crocodile and Sabie River Catchments