The old bridge loved by birdwatchers standing in the shadows of South Africa’s ‘Bridge of Death’

The old Van Stadens Pass bridge is loved by birdwatchers across South Africa, despite the bridge’s proximity to one of South Africa’s most popular suicide destinations.

Located approximately 37 km west of Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, on the Van Stadens River, Van Stadens Pass has a history dating back more than 150 years.

The pass was named after Marthinus van Staden, one of the area’s pioneer farmers and the first person to plot a rudimentary track through the Van Stadens River Gorge.

In 1860, the Cape Government decided to rebuild the pass to bring it up to acceptable standards for wagon traffic, consisting of a drift across the river.

By the end of 1863, employment had been created for 30 “distressed labourers” to work on a new road crossing the Van Stadens River Gorge.

The new pass was built between 1865 and 1867 under George Apsey, who served as road surveyor, while P.M. Pfeil was the inspecting engineer.

The road was handed over to the Uitenhage Division Council in 1866, but a flood two years later washed away major sections of the pass, which needed to be rebuilt.

By 1899, construction of a narrow-gauge railway line between Port Elizabeth and Avontuur had been authorised, with work beginning in 1902.

The Van Stadens railway bridge is the second-highest railway bridge in South Africa and the highest narrow-gauge railway bridge in the world, standing 77 metres above the Van Stadens River Gorge.

In 1938, a new river crossing was constructed alongside a concrete bridge. Up to this point, Van Stadens Pass had consisted solely of a drift, with no bridges.

Construction of the concrete bridge was completed by December 1939, with the actual pass remaining a dirt road until it was tarred between 1950 and 1953.

Today, the old bridge falls under the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve along the R102, and has become a popular destination for birdwatchers.

The bridge has been noted as a reliable spot for the Narina Trogon in summer, alongside other species such as the Knysna Woodpecker and Cape Sugarbird.

The new Van Stadens bridge

While the concrete bridge allowed easier travel across the Van Stadens River, motorists found it tedious and slow due to the bridge’s narrow single-lane road.

During the 1960s, a plan was proposed to build bridges across some of South Africa’s most well-known passes, including Van Stadens Pass.

This new bridge, completed on 12 October 1971, forms part of the N2 highway and sits 125 metres above the gorge.

At the time of its construction, the new bridge was the longest concrete arch bridge in South Africa and the sixth longest in the world, with a main span of 198 metres.

The new bridge opened to traffic on 11 November 1971. 12 days later, a man from Uitenhage took his own life by jumping from the bridge.

It is estimated that close to 100 people have lost their lives due to jumping from the bridge in the 55 years since it opened, an average of 2 suicides per year.

This has earned the Van Stadens Bridge the nickname of South Africa’s “Bridge Of Death”, with it being the most popular suicide hotspot in the country.

A R1 million video-camera surveillance system was installed on the bridge in August 2005 to assist in preventing further suicides, and was paid for by private donors.

Former Huisgenoot deputy editor Franz Kemp helped raise the funding for the surveillance system after his daughter Inge took her life by jumping from the bridge in 2003.

Since the introduction of the surveillance system, Eastern Cape police have reported the prevention of at least twenty potential suicides.

A 2.7-metre-high steel mesh pedestrian barrier was erected on the bridge in 2013 to further deter people from jumping to their deaths.

The installation of the barrier led to a significant reduction in the number of suicides reported on the bridge, with only a few isolated incidents occurring since 2013.

The R102 road was closed in early October 2026 due to a sinkhole less than 100 metres from the old Van Stadens Bridge towards Thornhill.

Motorists travelling from Kariega have been advised to remain on the N2 highway to avoid the affected section of the road and use the newer Van Stadens Bridge instead.