Truck driver Harry Vermaak, 54, was on the N2 towards Plettenberg Bay at 2am when he spotted a Mazda parked on the emergency lane of Van Staden River bridge.

"A very pale man got out; I realised he was going to jump."

Vermaak said they spoke about "different things". He discovered that the man had two children when the man produced a letter and told him to hand it over to his children.

The man's cellphone rang and he handed it to Vermaak. It was the man's daughter.

Vermaak said the daughter started crying when he told her that her father was trying to jump off a bridge.

"She then put her mother on the phone, but the man started walking [away]."

Vermaak grabbed his arm and called the police. Vermaak offered to drive the man to the police station himself.

He then called the man's family to fetch him from Thornhill police station.

A few hours earlier, Wayne Wewege, 28, of Port Alfred, had jumped off the same bridge -- becoming the 85th suicide since the bridge opened in 1971 and the fourth this year.

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Thu May 23 18:41:20 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 11, 2012

malemaforpresident

Vermaak you are mercy i would have just left the stupit to jump to his death Nxaaa people are so stupit life comes only once
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Oct 11, 2012

missteeque

how bad must life get for someone to even consider suicide mara? Its very selfish to do that to people who love u but then again who r we to judge. maybe there's a certain level of pain that others just cant handle. but i dont believe theres anything TOO great to handle.haai
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Oct 11, 2012

lindsay

jump jump jump jump its your life afterall but then shame maybe he could n't face his problems they are too ugly to look at.
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Oct 11, 2012

Papage

White man can't dance, but jump. so he would have been no 86th, how many Men and how many women? just interested. If people want peace of mind, peace from everything, so what? let them jump. But please pay all your debts first and leave something for the kids
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Oct 11, 2012

maneater

the man was joking and just wanted to grab attention. you should have just aksed him to wait took out your phone and recorded him see if he would have jumped.
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Oct 11, 2012

NTANDA

Papage only man jump to tha bridge and 99% are white. Its sad yaz man can't handle the heat. hope you'll won't try it again brother!!
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Oct 11, 2012

Mosquer

malemaforpresident
Vermaak you are mercy i would have just left the stupit to jump to his death Nxaaa people are so stupit life comes only once
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Aowi!!! Ga go bolelwe bjalo hle! A di je di šia marapo
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Oct 11, 2012

RobinH

Papage: "White man can't dance, but jump." WHAT!~!!!! Ditto for Ntanda. Suicide is NOT a racial issue, you obsessed freaks!
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Oct 11, 2012

BRA-MAFUTHA

Vermaak the truck driver you my hero my men we need people like you in this country.

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Oct 11, 2012

MUFARO

@ROBINH
RobinH
Papage: "White man can't dance, but jump." WHAT!~!!!! Ditto for Ntanda. Suicide is NOT a racial issue, you obsessed freaks!
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I like reading ur comments but somtime you just too serious as much as you can not
change dackie(blacks) you cannot change their racial comments
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