Apies River
| Apies | |
| River | |
 The Apies River where it intersects the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria 25°44′00″S 28°11′05″E / 25.7334°S 28.1847°E | |
| Country |  South Africa |
|---|---|
| Province | Gauteng |
| Part of | Pienaars River |
| Tributaries | |
| - right | Walker Spruit |
| Source | |
| - location | Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Mouth | Pienaars River |
| - coordinates | 25°10′25″S 28°06′38″E / 25.17361°S 28.11056°ECoordinates: 25°10′25″S 28°06′38″E / 25.17361°S 28.11056°E |
  | |
The Apies River is a river that flows through the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Its source is located just south of the city (south of Erasmus Park) and it flows northward until it drains into the Pienaars River.[1]
The river is known as the Apiesrivier in Afrikaans (in which "Apies" means "small monkeys").
Nguni-speaking settlers, who became known as the Ndebele, are thought to have been the first people to recognise the suitability of the Apies River valley as a place to put down roots. They named the river after one of the chiefs, Tshwane (“little ape”), which was later translated into the Afrikaans “Apies”. The river is - to a large extent - canalised with little resemblance of the natural river reach of the past. The river reach between Wonderboom Poort and the Bon Accord Dam is, however, not canalised.
The Mamelodi township draws its name from the name of the river, with the full name being "Mamelodi ya Tshwane", meaning "Whistler of the Apies River", a nickname given to Paul Kruger[2]
Dams
- Bon Accord Dam
- Leeukraal Dam
See also
- List of rivers of South Africa
- List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
References
- ↑ "Gauteng State of the Environment Report 2004". Gauteng Provintial Government. p. 4. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ↑ "Meanings of place names in South Africa". africanlanguages.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-27.