Mooi River (Vaal)

The Mooi River is a river in North West Province, South Africa. It is a tributary of the Vaal River and belongs to the Upper Vaal Water Management Area.CourseThe Mooi rises near Koster and flows southwards. During its course it flows into the Klerkskraal Dam, Boskop Dam and the Potchefstroom Dam. After crossing the town of Potchefstroom it bends southwestwards, shortly bending westwards before it empties into the Vaal River near the border with the Free State, about 15 km east of Stilfontein.Its main tributaries are the Wonderfontein Spruit (Mooi River Loop) and the Loop Spruit.The waters of the Mooi River and its reservoirs are polluted with heavy metals in its mid and lower course because of the large gold and uranium mining operations in the basin.HistoryIn November 1838 Voortrekker leader Andries Hendrik Potgieter and his followers established the first permanent European settlement north of the Vaal by the banks of the Mooi River, founding the town of Potchefstroom. The city was named in Potgieter's honor and was the capital of the former South African Republic until May 1860, when the capital moved to Pretoria.