Community clean and restore historic Wierdabrug in Centurion
“It’s sad to see something so fundamentally historic being neglected and we just realised recently if we had to leave it, it would perish and cease to exist.”
The community of Wierdapark together with ward 69 of the Freedom Front Plus took to the historic Wierdabrug (bridge) on Saturday, to do some much-needed cleaning, restoration and rubbish removal.
Community member Anton Joubert told Rekord that residents of the area were tired of waiting for municipal workers to do their job and like in the rest of greater Centurion, people were starting to take on service delivery tasks themselves.
“As part of phase 1 of the community project, we cleaned the area around the bridge. The grass was cut and the walls washed, painted and the rubbish and bushes around this historic bridge removed.
“Our motto is ‘We do it ourselves. The communities are beginning to take control of their environments. More renovations and cleaning projects will follow in the near future,” he said.
Joubert told Rekord that the history of the bridge was impressive, as it was originally built in the 1800s and officially opened in October 1891.
“It’s sad to see something so fundamentally historic being neglected and we just realised recently if we had to leave it, it would perish and cease to exist.”
Joubert said that the bridge was constructed to be 21m long and was declared a national monument in 1965.
“This steel construction bridge is one of the first of its kind in South Africa.
“For those interested in architecture and construction, it might be of interest to learn that the bridge’s design was based on a hinge system, with heavy hinge-and-nut bolts connecting the main parts at the knot points,” he said.
“The technical design and construction were done with good skill and expertise. The design was done in the offices of the department of public works. Built in Germany and delivered in Natal and brought to the area by ox carts.”
Joubert said that the name of the area Wierdapark and the Wierdabrug was from the bridge architect Sytze Wopkes Wierda, a Dutchman who was a trained carpenter.
Joubert is on a mission to restore and preserve the historic culture that lies in many bridges and other monuments and infrastructure in Centurion.
If you would like to get involved with the group’s next clean-up project, contact Joubert on 082-451-4962.
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