IN PHOTOS: André’s Bridge for pedestrians between Hippo Hollows and Elephant Whispers swept away
The pedestrian bridge was completely swept away by 11:00 this morning, February 17.
The bridge between Hippo Hollows and Elephant Whispers in Hazyview was swept away by the raging currents of the Sabie River this morning, February 17.
It had been standing strong, allowing tourists to cross between the two areas for the past seven years.
The structure finally gave way to the river’s high water level and surging currents.
Carla Venter, who works at Elephant Whispers, sent photos to Lowvelder that showed that at 08:15 this morning, the river’s water levels were just under the pedestrian bridge.
By 09:15, the river was just touching the bottom of the bridge.
By 11:00, the bridge was gone.
“One of the other staff members heard a loud noise and called me. We went to the bridge that crosses the main road and saw the pedestrian bridge was gone.”
She said the bridge had been damaged a few years ago by previous floods, and due to the devastating effects of the Covid pandemic, Elephant Whispers had been unable to start repairs.
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“In January, Angie Sprangers and Corine Gruben had donated money towards rebuilding it. We had just started with the work when the river washed it away. It is very sad.”
She said Sprangers and Gruben had named it André’s Bridge, which quickly caught on with everyone else in the area.
