Analysis of the dynamics of land use and land cover change (LULCC) along rivers that sup- ply water to settlements provides crucial information to decision-makers; it offers infor- mation for planners and water supply authorities on water management issues in general. The paper analyzed LULCC along Boteti and Thamalakane rivers and predicted the prob- able LULCC for the year 2050 using the artificial neural network (ANN) of the module for land use evaluation (MOLUCE) within the QGIS 2.9 software. Adopting a supervised classification method, the Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) algorithm was used to classify the study area into five LULC categories. Findings show an increase in a built-up area (46.5%), barren land (90.1%) and a decrease in shrubs/trees (67.4%), water/waterlogged area (48%) and hydrophytes (39.3%) between 1990 and 2020. Using 2020 as the baseline, the ANN modelling approach predicted an increase in the built-up area and a continued shrinking of water and shrubs/trees spatial coverage in the next 30 years. Findings also re- veal the presence of building constructions within less than 500 m from the river channel and/or flood plains. While a strict monitoring of the construction works along the river- bank needs to be constantly carried out, the paper also recommends the creation of a buffer zone of 500 m along the rivers where construction activities are prohibited.

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