How Wakkerstroom Got its Name
The history of Wakkerstroom dates back to 1859, when a certain Dirk Cornelius Uys measured out the streets with a 150-yard leather thong cut from the hide of an eland bull.
The settlement was laid out on his farm Gryshoek, and was the 6th town to be established in the district of the Old Transvaal. It is the second oldest town in Mpumalanga province.
Uys argued for the town to be named Uysenberg, but the Executive Committee of the ZAR wanted to named it after the president, Marthinus Wesselstroom. The district was known as Wakkerstroom due to the nearby thaka River – the name can be roughly translated as ‘wide-awake stream’ in isiZulu. By 1904, the town itself was therefore also colloquially known as Wakkerstroom. In 1910, it was given village status.
The surrounding area of Wakkerstrrom is a renowned splendour of natural beauty, known for its mountains, kloofs, wetland areas, mountain springs, dams and heritage sites. The area has been declared a National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Area due to its proximity to sources of three rivers, the Vaal, Tugela and Pongola.