Good Samaritans fix historic Meerhof bridge after vandalism and theft

The Meerhof bridge is once again accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.
In recent weeks good Samaritans have been hard at work repairing the vandalised Meerhof bridge to make it accessible for public use again.
This beautiful iron bridge is almost a hundred years old and holds cultural and historic significance. Hikers, cyclists and motorcyclists often use the bridge as part of their trails and it is an important link between the two sides of the dam for delivery scooters, school pupils and workers.
When the non-slip steel plates were stolen a while ago, some wooden planks and sticks were laid on the bridge as a temporary but unsafe measure to allow people to cross.
“We often exercise our dogs there, and it saddened us immensely when this landmark was vandalised. The area and community are very close to our hearts and we wanted to contribute something meaningful,” said Estelle Bode from Optirite Optometrists at The Islands Mall who sponsored the repair.
“In collaboration with Dave van Asche, owner of Omnistruct, the bridge was repaired with new metal ‘vastrap’ plates. By welding the new and existing plates onto the structure, any further vandalism will hopefully be prevented,” she said.
“May the Meerhof bridge provide safe passage for everybody for another 100 years!”