Residents from Lavender Hill on the Cape Flats got the fright of their lives on Monday morning when a massive sinkhole “swallowed” a City of Cape Town refuse truck.
Pictures and videos of the refuse truck on the section of road are currently circulating on social media.
One person sustained injuries.
Mayoral committee member for urban waste management, Alderman Grant Twigg confirmed the incident in which a refuse compactor truck was involved.
He said there was no visible sign of damage on the road surface.
“Contingency measures are being put in place to ensure minimal delays to refuse collection services in the area. Counselling is also available for staff, if needed,” Twigg said.
Mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien said the incident, including the cause, is under investigation.
"Currently, the affected area has been cordoned off for safety reasons. The main priority at this stage is to ensure the area is structurally safe to recover the vehicle, and then the necessary assessment of the area can be done to determine the cause of the incident, among which is a sewer collapse.
"SAPS as well as the City’s Law Enforcement were also called to the site," Badroodien said.
He also urged residents to stay away from the site for safety reasons.
“This request applies while the officials are recovering the vehicle and conducting the assessment, as well as throughout the period when the remedial work is being done.
"Once the necessary assessment has been completed, the way forward to remedy the situation will be determined. We regret any inconvenience caused and ask the public to please co-operate with us during this time," Badroodien said.
Fire and rescue services were called to the scene of the incident to assist in extracting the vehicle.
The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, said the call for assistance was received just after 9am.
"We dispatched a technical rescue vehicle with a crane and a crew from Wynberg to have the truck removed from the roadway.
"An adult female sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital.
"Another towing service arrived to assist as the vehicle is extremely heavy. This is an ongoing scene at present," Carelse said.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL