News

Tar road flooded at Loskop Dam

Runners will battle tough uphill back to the resort.

Breathtaking!

There is only one word to describe the overflowing Loskop Dam.

With the Olifants River and the Klein Olifants flooded, water is pouring into the dam.

This causes thousands of cubic litres of water to flow over the dam wall.

The water spray makes for an unforgettable picture.

Some residents call it our own ‘Klein Victoria’, referring to the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Participants in the Wild Challenge half marathon will be welcomed with this natural wonder.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the old road has been flooded.

It’s always special to jog with the water splashing next to you and the knowledge that the finish line is almost in sight.

Wild Challenge participants will now have to overcome a tough climb along the N11 to the resort.

• A cold morning is forecast for runners with light rain later in the day.

• The dam wall was originally built between 1934 and 1938, entirely by hand.

In 1978/1979, the dam was drained and raised by 9m to its current height of 54m.

The base is about 24m thick and 506m long.

The engineer, Col D. F. Roberts, has his remains cemented into the wall.

At 100%, the dam holds 348 million cubic litres with a surface area of 2 385 hectares.

At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

Support local journalism

Add The Citizen as a preferred source to see more from Middelburg Observer in Google News and Top Stories.

Tobie van den Bergh

Tobie started as a journalist in September 1975. He was appointed editor of the Middelburg Observer in 1982 where he worked until he retired in 2024. He received numerous awards, is a founding member of the Forum for Community Newspapers and has published two books about his work. Although retired, Tobie is still very much involved in community journalism.
Back to top button