Kraai River

BW

The Kraai River ( Afrikaans Kraairivier, literally "crow river " ) is a river in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. Its origin lies 22 km north-east of Barkly East.

River

The origin is located at 1724 meters above sea level and is formed from the confluence of the Bell River and Sterkspruit on the southern edge of the Drakensberg, south of Lesotho. In its length of 250 km feeding the Kraai River several tributaries. In numerous meanders it flows mainly buried deep in the countryside west to Aliwal North, where he leads north-east of the city into the Oranje. The river bed is made, as well as most tributaries in the lower reaches, almost entirely of sandstone, which otherwise occurs only under the harder basalt and other volcanic rocks.

Catchment area

It extends to a height of about 3000 m up to the basalt rocks of the watershed, which form the border between South Africa, Lesotho and the area around the former Republic of Transkei Herschel. The upper part of the catchment area of the Kraai River is located between the headwaters of the two rivers that form the Kraai River at its source, and Moshesh 's Ford, named after Moshoeshoe I. These two sources have particularly numerous tributaries. The catchment area of ​​the middle reaches ranges from Moshesh 's Ford to the inflow of Karringmelkspruit. Smaller tributaries in the area of ​​the middle reaches are Joggemspruit, Langkloofspruit, Diepspruit, Small Wildebeestspruit and Saalboomspruit. Tributaries in the lower reaches hot Karringmelkspruit ( often referred to as Karnmelkspruit ) Bossieslaagtespruit and Elandspruit.

Places on the Kraai River

In the area of the middle reaches is about 6 km south of the town of Barkly East. Approximately 22 km north-east of the mouth of the Karnmelkspruit is the town of Lady Grey. Right next to the mouth of the Kraai River in the Orange River lies Aliwal North.