Velddrif (the name of the town) or Velddrift (the name of the farm on which the town was established), is a coastal fishing town in the Bergrivier Local Municipality,

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The town had a population 12507 in 2015 and is located on the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

at which the

Berg River The Berg River (also called Great Berg River or in Afrikaans: Bergrivier) is a river located just north of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is approximately 294 km (183 mi) long with a catchment area of and ...

flows into St. Helena Bay.

Geography and environment

Velddrif is located approximately north of

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

to which it is connected by the R27 road. The R27 joins the R399 at Velddrif, which is near the point at which the meandering

flows into the sea at St. Helena Bay. The estuary is an importan
bird
habitat and is home to around 30,000 birds, including up to 80 species which are endemic to the Cape coast. Well over 350 different species of birds can be seen here, as it is a habitat for sea, river and land birds. Flowers grow in this area, including the ''

Euclea racemosa ''Euclea racemosa'' (the sea guarrie or dune guarrie) is a small to medium-sized Evergreen, evergreen tree that is indigenous to the Indian Ocean coast of Africa from Egypt to South Africa, as well as in Comoros, Oman and Yemen. ''Euclea racemos ...

'' (Kersbos), ''

Babiana ringens ''Babiana ringens'', the rat's tail, is a flowering plant endemic to Cape Province of South Africa. The foliage is long and erect with an inflorescence consisting of a sterile main stalk adapted for ornithophily, pollination by birds. The plant b ...

'' (Rotstert), '' Willdenowia incurvata'' (Sonkwas Riet), ''

Limonium ''Limonium'' is a genus of about 600 flowering plant species. Members are also known as sea-lavender, statice, caspia or marsh-rosemary. Despite their common names, species are not related to the lavenders or to rosemary. They are instead in Plu ...

'' (Strandroos) and '' Leucospermum rodolentum'' (Sandveld Luisebos). Regular boat trips can be taken up the river for birdwatching.

History

The name ''Velddrif'' is derived from a drift in the field () through which a local farmer, Theunis Smit, took his stock to access grazing across the Berg River. In 1899, a ''pont'' (

pontoon ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

) was built to cross the Berg River.

Economy

The main industries of Velddrif are fishing, tourism and salt production. There are two large

salt works A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The salt pans are shallow and expansive, allowing sunlight to penetrate and reach the seawater. Natural salt pans are formed throu ...

in the town that provide much of the salt in the Western Cape. The fishing industry is substantial in Velddrif; the town is part of the Crayfish Route. A common sight in the area are the rickety wooden jetties on which the dried fish speciality, '' bokkoms'', is hung out to dry. The town contains

Port Owen Port Owen is a man-made marina in Velddrif, South Africa. Velddrif, which has incorporated the village of Laaiplek has the lowest crime statistics in South Africa according to the local police station. It comprises 100 hectares and has 3.5 k ...

, which comprises 100 hectares and has 3.5 km of waterways. The town attracts a number of tourists, especially for its wildlife, fishing, yachting and

art galleries An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

, which represents the work of over 100 artists and craftsmen in the area.

Birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

is a significant component of the town's tourism sector, as the Berg River Estuary, next to the town, is famous as a rare bird hotspot with over 200 species found in the 24,000 ha wetland. There are numerous restaurants in Velddrif and nearby Laaiplek(which is a neighbourhood of Velddrif) that serve fresh fish and other seafood. A holiday resort has grown up around the marina area of

and Admiral Island Security Village. The annual

Berg River Canoe Marathon The ''Berg River Canoe Marathon'' takes place annually in South Africa's Western Cape Province over a distance of some 240 km from Paarl to the small harbour of Velddrif on the West Coast, Western Cape, West Coast. The three other notable S ...

starts in

Paarl Paarl (; ; derived from ''parel'', meaning "pearl" in Dutch) is a city with 294,457 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the largest city in the Boland, Western Cape, Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni ...

and ends at the Carinus Bridge Velddrif. The first Berg River Canoe Marathon was held in 1962, has gained a reputation for being one of the toughest courses in the world and is the longest course in South Africa. Ayesha Abdool Aziz, who hails from Edgemead Primary, holds the current record for the group aged under 9.

Education

Hoërskool Velddrif elddrif High Schoolis a

public high school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

in Velddrif,

. It is an

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

combined upper and lower secondary school with approximately 500 students. Hoërskool Velddrif was founded in 1890 as a private school. ; List of school principals: Vellies2017

The school crest represents the environs of Velddrif. Five wavy white lanes represent water, namely the

and the sea. The boat is a stylized version of a fishing boat, honoring Velddrif's fishing industry, on which the town's economy was largely built. The bridge indicates the bridge between youth and adulthood. The sun relates to the schools motto: "Strive Higher."

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Bergrivier Local Municipality Populated places founded by Afrikaners