| Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Bloubosspruit in the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve | |
 Interactive map of Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve | |
| Type | Nature reserve |
| Location | Peggy Vera Road, Kibler Park, Gauteng |
| Nearest city | Johannesburg |
| Coordinates | 26°18′13″S28°0′39″E / 26.30361°S 28.01083°E /-26.30361; 28.01083 |
| Area | 680 hectares (1,700 acres) |
| Created | 9 October 1984 (1984-10-09) |
| Operated by | Johannesburg City Parks |
| Open | All year |
| Camp sites | None |
| Hiking trails | Nine |
| Plants | 650 – 700 species |
| Species | Large game 215 birds species |
| Parking | Main Entrance – Peggy Vera Road, Kibler Park Northern entrance – Frandaph Drive, Mondeor |
| Website | www klipriviersberg |
Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve is a nature reserve consisting ofveld andkoppies (hills) run by theJohannesburg City Parks. It is located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south ofJohannesburg, in an area of 640 hectares (1,600 acres). Home to many species of flora and bird life, it is also home to large and smallmammals such asblesbok,zebra,wildebeest andduiker.
The reserve has a number of hiking trails and archaeological sites, with theBloubosspruit flowing through the area.
Prehistory saw the area inhabited by stone age man who hunted in the area with the location claimed to have the highest concentration of identifiedIron Age sites on theWitwatersrand with the discovery of artefacts dating back 250,000 years.[1][2][3]
TheSotho-Tswana peoples would later settle in the area in the 1400s and would leave the location around 1800 when possibly climate changes and the movement of more militant tribes into the area saw their departure toBotswana.[4] Their lifestyle consisted of animal husbandry and the growingmillet,sorghum and later maize imported into Africa by the Portuguese traders.[4]
Around 1850,Voorttrekker Sarel Marais bought land on a western portion of the Rietvlei farm part of which is the reserve today, and used it for grazing and peach farming.[5] His descendants would eventually sell the farm in 1914 to the Quilliam family who used it for dairy farming and as a piggery.[5] By 1939, the Quilliam family had sold the land to theCity of Johannesburg.[5]
After the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand, the shortage of water saw a proposal to build a dam in the northern part of the reserve.[6] To be called the Vierfontein Dam, work ended on it as the Second Boer War broke out and all that remains across thespruit is the remains of aweir.[6] After the war, the proposal was found to be uneconomical and theRand Water Board chose theVaal Dam barrage as a better option.[6]
During theSecond Boer War, the hills around the reserve were used by Boers in the defence of Johannesburg against the southern advance of the British forces underLord Roberts from the direction ofVereeniging.
In the late 1970s residents of the area petitioned the Johannesburg City Council to declare the area as nature reserve.[7] The council asked the residents to form an association to assist the council in the proposed reserves management and was formed as the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve Association; the nature reserve was proclaimed in 1984.[7][8]
Large mammals such asBlack Wildebeest, Blesbok,Springbok,Red Hartebeest and Zebra are found in the reserve with approximately 240 of these large animals.[9] Also found are numerous small mammals. 215 species of bird life have been recorded in the reserve as well assnakes,geckos,lizards,skinks andterrapins.[10] It is also a haven for insect life such as butterflies and spiders. There is said to be between 650—700 species of plants in the reserve. Over 340 wild flowers, 67 tree and shrub types as well as 70 grasses species have been catalogued.[11]
The fenced reserve is open all year round from dawn to dusk. The ruins of Marais' farmhouse, wagon shelter and family cemetery can still be seen today.[5] There are also nine trails to hike, amounting to 20 kilometres (12 mi).[12] To the north of the reserve is the Silent Pool, the result of a hole dug during the construction of the proposed dam. The reserve can be entered at two points:
