Pillar spacings on bridge in SA not evidence of vandalism but features of original design

South Africa has grappled with infrastructure vandalism, including periodic theft and damage to roads, and water and electricity networks. A post shared on Facebook claimed that the pillars supporting the President Steyn Bridge in Pretoria were being cut down by criminals. The claims are misleading; officials clarified that the purported damage highlighted in videos on social media is a design feature of the bridge and not the work of vandals, although opportunistic theft of some steel plates between the expansion joints appears to have taken place.

“Be careful when you drive along President Styein Bridge in Pretoria North. They have cut or are busy cutting the pillars that hold the bridge (sic),” reads a Facebook post published on November 24, 2024.

The accompanying video shows several pillars of the bridge. Each pillar features distinctive horizontal openings near the base. On some of these pillars, when the camera zooms in, the structure appears to be slightly fraying directly around these openings.

The same clip was published on X, linking illegal immigrants to the purported vandalism of the bridge.

“BREAKING NEWS: President Styen Street Bridge, Pretoria North is vandalised, it is believed that illegal Zimbabwean foreigners who are spiking cars have now switched focus to destroying infrastructure,” reads the X post published on the same day.

“It looks like @nasiphim will have to double her efforts in @CityofTswwe and remove foreigners from the city before the lives of innocent South Africans are lost.”

Nasiphi Moya is the mayor of the City of Tshwane, one of South Africa’s metros where Pretoria is located (archived here and here).

The clip was also shared here on X and here on Facebook with similar claims.

Infrastructure vandalism crisis

According to a report published by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, South Africa’s infrastructure is suffering because of sustained and organised theft of copper, which has affected the transport, energy, water, communication and fuel sectors.

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport reported over R30 million (about $1.6 million) worth of damage to traffic lights across the province in 2023 (archived here).

Following a spate of cable theft and infrastructure tampering, Tshwane city officials called on communities to safeguard municipal infrastructure against vandalism in April 2024 (archived here).

More recently, on December 16, 2024, electrical infrastructure in Tshwane’s Centurion area was vandalised, prompting municipal officials to announce intensified efforts to combat vandalism (archived here and here).

The claim about the video is, however, misleading.

Original design feature

After the claims emerged on social media, Moya, accompanied by Tshwane engineers, visited the bridge on November 26, 2024, for an inspection, and assured motorists it was structurally sound (archived here).

Moya explained that the so-called “cuts” seen on the pillars are a feature of the original design of the bridge (archived here).

“We can confirm that the cuts at the bottom of the pillars of the bridge are the same as those on top of the pillars. It’s part of the design, a German-inspired design, which was built in the ’50s,” she said.

The joints on the top and bottom of the bridge pillars are visible on Google Maps photos as far back as 2009, disproving the assertion that they are due to recent vandalism.

In the video posted on Moya’s X account, one of her colleagues explained that the gaps were designed to absorb shock.

Moya added there were metal plates inside the openings, which she acknowledged have been the target of criminals.

“There are however plates on the cuts that criminals are taking out and, in the process, they are damaging the structure of the bridge…Of the three columns, the two columns they have taken those plates…We must get the metro police to add this bridge as a hotspot so that they don’t come back and damage the third column.” 

She made no mention of the nationality of the people taking out the metal plates.

Anti-immigrant sentiments 

High unemployment rates, among other factors, have exacerbated anti-immigrant sentiments in South Africa, where immigrants are often perceived as competition for limited job opportunities in the country (archived here).

As a result, foreign nationals have been the target of recurring xenophobic attacks and intimidation, including the looting of their businesses (archived here).

Tshwane residents have in the past protested against undocumented immigrants living in South Africa.

Leon Schreiber, South Africa’s home affairs minister, in October 2024 said that Pretoria spent R53 million (about 2.8 million dollars) to deport undocumented immigrants, the majority of whom were Zimbabweans (archived here and here).

AFP Fact Check approached various construction companies and will update this report accordingly.