Blood River
Blood River is situated in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This river has its sources in the hills south-east of Utrecht; leaving the highlands it is joined by two important tributaries that originate in the Schurveberg, after which it flows meandering through a sandy plain. The Blood River is a tributary of the Buffalo River, which is a tributary of the Tugela River which it joins from the north-east.
This river is so named after the battle in which Zulu King Dingane was defeated by Andries Pretorius and his men on 16 December 1838 and the water turned red from the blood of Zulu who died here en masse. It was a fight with 464 Boers and over 10,000 Zulus. To this day Afrikaners celebrate this day in thanks to God for sparing them since not even one Boer died. This day is known as “Gelofte dag” and is celebrated on 16 December every year.
The Blood River Vlei, located about 20 km to the south-west of Vryheid, is one of the biggest inland wetlands in South Africa and the wintering place of migratory birds such as ducks and geese.
