Dam at the foot of the Soutpansberg Mountain Range. Named after Joao Albasini who lived from 1813 to 1885. He was the first European Settler in the Lowveld and he subsequently became head of the Magwamba Tribe, Vice-Consul for Portugal and Superintendent of the African peoples in the Soutpansberg under the ZAR. The ruins of his Residence, on the Western Bank of the Phabenspruit are 16 km North-West of Pretoriuskop, has been declared a Historical Monument.The dam has a capacity of 25,200,000 cubic metres, and a surface Area of 3.572 square kilometres. The Albasini Dam was built in 1952 and was subsequently raised to 34 meters, by means of spillway gates in 1971. This Dam was built to supply the Levubu Irrigation Scheme with water!
New Dictionary of South African Place Names by Peter E. Raper