By Buziwe Nocuze
A waste collection truck met a shocking fate on Monday when the road it was driving on collapsed beneath it.
The City of Cape Town has urged residents to stay away from the site as investigations into the cause of the accident are underway.
The truck was collecting waste in Lavender Hill when the road gave way.
One woman sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital.
“There was no visible sign of damage on the road surface,” said Grant Twigg, MCM for Urban Waste Management. “The contingency measures are being put in place to ensure minimal delays to refuse collection services in the area.”
He said counselling would be made available for all staff involved in the incident if needed, recognising the emotional toll such incidents can take.
Councillor Zahid Badroodien of the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate shed light on the ongoing 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.”
Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City’s Fire and Rescue Services, detailed the rescue efforts.
“We dispatched a technical rescue team with a crane and a crew from Wynberg to have the truck removed from the roadway,” said Carelse.
“Due to the substantial weight of the truck, an additional towing service was called in to assist with the ongoing recovery operation.”
Resident Zimbini Mathe expressed her relief that no lives were lost.
“It is a relief that no one lost their lives but it has caused a lot of fear to motorists, they don’t know if it won’t happen again on the roads,” said Mathe.
Pictured above: A waste collection truck, which was gathering refuse in Lavender Hill, sinks into a hole after the road beneath it collapsed unexpectedly
Image source: Supplied
