Van Stadens Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Van Stadens Bridge is a concrete arch bridge over the Van Stadens River
in the Eastern Cape
of South Africa
. It carries road traffic for the N2
national highway.
was opened on November 11, 1971. Just 12 days later, a Uitenhage
man jumped to his death, and its reputation as the Bridge of Death grew from there. The death toll from suicides off the bridge is currently at 81.
A R1-million video-camera surveillance system, paid for by private donors was installed in August 2005. Gauteng journalist Franz Kemp, raised the funds after his daughter Inge had jumped off the bridge in 2003. The local police and pedestrians have rescued some twenty people from jumping off since that time.
One such dramatic rescue took place when an Afrikaner man from Humansdorp wanted to commit suicide from the bridge - but was stopped just in time by Freddie van Niekerk, who had just walked past him and said he 'felt a sudden chill, as if God was speaking to me' and grabbed the man. He endangered his own life and battled for 45 minutes to stop the man from jumping. He remained with the desperate man, even after he had grabbed his benefactor's arms and threats were made to pull him off the bridge too. Van Niekerk had to save that same man a second time that day when he escaped from the Thornhill police station and started jogging back towards the bridge again...
The Thornhill police department, who have a specialist-counselling team on hand for the bereaved relatives of these suicides, retrieved the crushed bodies of an unnamed little girl, an older boy and a man on whom they found a suicide note. They believe, based on a suicide note, that the three people died shortly after October 31. Piecing together the events leading to the tragedy, police came to the conclusion that the man must have thrown the two children over the side, sending them plummeting to the rocky floor of the gorge, before jumping himself. The bodies were not found in one place, suggesting that one of the children might have panicked and tried to flee after the first victim went over the side.
Captain Anton Smit said the traumatic discovery was made by two Port Elizabeth teenagers who had gone for a walk during a picnic near the Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve. Bryan van Vuuren, 17, and his friend Andre Trauernicht, 18, first discovered the body of the boy. The teens alerted Thornhill
police station and showed them where they discovered the body. Soon afterwards, the body of the man was found a few metres away. There was also a note indicating that there were another body somewhere among the bushes. The note also mentioned three women who should be notified of the deaths.
A police sniffer dog was called in and the body of the girl was discovered several metres further from where the other two bodies were found. The bodies were not severely decomposed and were identifiable. There was no sign of a vehicle parked near the bridge.
While the suicides averaged about one every 18 months, there was a rash of suicides in 2008: besides the 80-year-old Afrikaner man on October 8, Humansdorp
teacher Nicholaas Martinus, 26, jumped off on June 4 and a day before that, Kensington man Chris Botha jumped off.
On 08 August 2009, a 20 year old man jumped to his death while onlookers from Cape Town were doing some site seeing, and a family from PE stood admiring the bridge.
The most recent death happened on 27 January 2011 when a 33 year old PE man, Mr. Christo Barnardo, jumped to his death sometime between 5am and 6am. His death coincided almost exactly with the 18 month timeline of suicides at this bridge.
Unfortunately on 16 August 2011, a 57 year old woman (name withheld) jumped, and the "bridge of death" claimed his 81st victim.
Van Stadens River
Van Stadens River is a river in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The river mouth is located about 30 km west of Port Elizabeth.The Van Stadens Bridge where the N2 national highway crosses the river is known as a suicide location....
in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It carries road traffic for the N2
N2 (South Africa)
The N2 is a National Route in South Africa; it is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. The N2 starts in Cape Town in the Western Cape and runs through the cities of Port Elizabeth and East London in the Eastern Cape and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal to end at Ermelo in...
national highway.
Suicides at Van Stadens Bridge
The Van Stadens Bridge on the N2N2 (South Africa)
The N2 is a National Route in South Africa; it is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. The N2 starts in Cape Town in the Western Cape and runs through the cities of Port Elizabeth and East London in the Eastern Cape and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal to end at Ermelo in...
was opened on November 11, 1971. Just 12 days later, a Uitenhage
Uitenhage
Uitenhage is a South African town with 275,185 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The town's name is pronounced by English speakers and in Afrikaans...
man jumped to his death, and its reputation as the Bridge of Death grew from there. The death toll from suicides off the bridge is currently at 81.
A R1-million video-camera surveillance system, paid for by private donors was installed in August 2005. Gauteng journalist Franz Kemp, raised the funds after his daughter Inge had jumped off the bridge in 2003. The local police and pedestrians have rescued some twenty people from jumping off since that time.
One such dramatic rescue took place when an Afrikaner man from Humansdorp wanted to commit suicide from the bridge - but was stopped just in time by Freddie van Niekerk, who had just walked past him and said he 'felt a sudden chill, as if God was speaking to me' and grabbed the man. He endangered his own life and battled for 45 minutes to stop the man from jumping. He remained with the desperate man, even after he had grabbed his benefactor's arms and threats were made to pull him off the bridge too. Van Niekerk had to save that same man a second time that day when he escaped from the Thornhill police station and started jogging back towards the bridge again...
The Thornhill police department, who have a specialist-counselling team on hand for the bereaved relatives of these suicides, retrieved the crushed bodies of an unnamed little girl, an older boy and a man on whom they found a suicide note. They believe, based on a suicide note, that the three people died shortly after October 31. Piecing together the events leading to the tragedy, police came to the conclusion that the man must have thrown the two children over the side, sending them plummeting to the rocky floor of the gorge, before jumping himself. The bodies were not found in one place, suggesting that one of the children might have panicked and tried to flee after the first victim went over the side.
Captain Anton Smit said the traumatic discovery was made by two Port Elizabeth teenagers who had gone for a walk during a picnic near the Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve. Bryan van Vuuren, 17, and his friend Andre Trauernicht, 18, first discovered the body of the boy. The teens alerted Thornhill
Thornhill
-People:*Alan Thornhill, British sculptor*Alan Thornhill, British Playwright, Leader of Oxford-Movement*Batt Thornhill, Irish sportsperson*Claude Thornhill, American pianist, arranger and bandleader*Frederick Thornhill, English cricketer...
police station and showed them where they discovered the body. Soon afterwards, the body of the man was found a few metres away. There was also a note indicating that there were another body somewhere among the bushes. The note also mentioned three women who should be notified of the deaths.
A police sniffer dog was called in and the body of the girl was discovered several metres further from where the other two bodies were found. The bodies were not severely decomposed and were identifiable. There was no sign of a vehicle parked near the bridge.
While the suicides averaged about one every 18 months, there was a rash of suicides in 2008: besides the 80-year-old Afrikaner man on October 8, Humansdorp
Humansdorp
Humansdorp is a small town and surrounding district in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with a population of around 35,000 . It is part of the Kouga Local Municipality of the Cacadu District. The town is the centre of the district's light industry and farming...
teacher Nicholaas Martinus, 26, jumped off on June 4 and a day before that, Kensington man Chris Botha jumped off.
On 08 August 2009, a 20 year old man jumped to his death while onlookers from Cape Town were doing some site seeing, and a family from PE stood admiring the bridge.
The most recent death happened on 27 January 2011 when a 33 year old PE man, Mr. Christo Barnardo, jumped to his death sometime between 5am and 6am. His death coincided almost exactly with the 18 month timeline of suicides at this bridge.
Unfortunately on 16 August 2011, a 57 year old woman (name withheld) jumped, and the "bridge of death" claimed his 81st victim.