| Jukskei River | |
|---|---|
 Jukskei flowing past Gillooly's Farm | |
 | |
  Location of the Jukskei River mouth | |
| Location | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Gauteng |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | NaturalSpring |
| • location | Ellis Park,[1]Johannesburg,South Africa |
| • coordinates | 26°11′46″S28°03′50″E / 26.196°S 28.064°E /-26.196; 28.064 |
| Mouth | Crocodile River |
• coordinates | 25°52′34″S27°55′38″E / 25.87611°S 27.92722°E /-25.87611; 27.92722 |
• elevation | 1,234 m (4,049 ft) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Crocodile River |
| • average | 120 m3/s (4,200 cu ft/s) |
TheJukskei River[2] is one of the largestrivers inJohannesburg,South Africa. It is the southernmost river in the Crocodile River basin.[3]
The Jukskei begins inEllis Park in Johannesburg. Its original spring was on the former Doornfontein farm, which measured at 18,000 litres per hour, but has since disappeared under subsequent urban development.[4] Now the first surface expression of the Jukskei is inBertrams at the intersection of Queen Street and Sports Avenue where it emerges from a storm drain. From there the river flows throughBezuidenhout Valley andBruma. It then meanders in a northerly direction throughBedfordview andEdenvale before flowing throughAlexandra Township. It then turns northwest and flows through Modderfontein,Buccleuch, Leeuwkop Prison,Lone Hill, Dainfern and Steyn City before joining theCrocodile River outside Lanseria.[4]
The Jukskei River is joined by numerous streams along its course with its major tributaries being theModderfontein Spruit,Braamfontein Spruit and theKlein-Jukskei. The Jukskei River provides the largest amount of water, by discharge, into theCrocodile River basin.[4]
The Jukskei is mostly shallow and not deep enough for transportation. It is also heavilypolluted byurban runoff. Lack of infrastructure maintenance has let raw waste flow into the river on a daily basis.Cholera-causing bacteria have occasionally been found in the river.[5][6] The river receives a large inflow from the Northern Waste Water Treatment Plant in northernJohannesburg. The Jukskei River is one of the largest contributing factors of theeutrophication problems facingHartbeespoort Dam further down stream. Tons of waste such as plastic, metal and rubber flow down the river annually.[7][8][9]
The banks are prone to bursting,[10] especially in summer when rainfalls are the heaviest for the year regionally. This spells disaster for theimpoverished residents of theAlexandra Township who often build makeshiftshacks along the river banks owing to overcrowding and the need for access to water for washing, drinking, and cooking.[11]
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The Jukskei traditionally demarcated the boundary between theNorthern Transvaal andTransvaal for sporting purposes,[12] and teams like theTitans cricket team andBlue Bulls (formerlyNorthern Transvaal) continue to be headquartered in Pretoria, north of the Jukskei.
