Cape Town - A Mitchells Plain family with four children had a narrow escape when a car plunged into their home and ended up in their lounge on Sunday.
The family says it's not the first time that a car has crashed into their corner property. In fact, they had just finished rebuilding a wall damaged by a car about three months ago.
The property owner, Nicolette Cupido, 42, said: “The accident happened around 10am and I was busy preparing Sunday lunch at the time.
“All I heard was a loud crash and when I looked up I saw the wall coming at me in the kitchen. I just held my head.
“It was divine intervention that my youngest daughter, 9, was not in the lounge at the time. She usually watches TV at that time, but thankfully when this crash happened she was playing outside.
‘‘I can’t begin to think what would have happened if she was on that couch.”
She said after the car came to a halt centimetres from her kitchen, the driver of the vehicle and three passengers got out.
“They were fine and went to sit outside just before emergency services arrived. When the police arrived however, the driver fainted. He was taken to hospital,” Cupido said.
She said blood was to be drawn from the driver to ascertain alcohol consumption.
Cupido, who lives on the corner of Katdoring Street and 6th Avenue in Eastridge, said she was at wits end because she has lost count of how many times cars had been driven into their corner property.
“I had just fixed the wall after this car drove through three months ago. I had to buy the materials in bits and pieces every month because it’s expensive and finally it was fixed. Now we have to start all over again,” she said.
Cupido said the traffic circle put on their corner a few months ago had done nothing for traffic-calming measures.
“For years we have asked that a traffic light or speed bump be put up on this corner. Motorists speed past here all the time and since the circle was put there, they still drive right over it,” she said.
Cupido, who works as a ward hostess in the nursing profession, said she did not know how soon they could rebuild.
“I have no idea what I am going to do now. Christmas is a few days away and now this adds to the stress over this busy period,” she said.
“My neighbours helped me clean up the rubble and we had to put my wall unit in front of the gap where the car came through.
‘‘We have no idea how safe this is going to be but what else can we do?”
The white Renault was removed by a tow trucking service at about 2pm.
According to Cupido, ward councillor Solomon Philander arranged for a building inspector to visit their home. She was told to visit the local housing office today and they would communicate further with her.
Traffic spokesperson Richard Coleman said: “Our officers responded to the scene but when they approached the address, shots were fired in the area and our officers had to leave from there. We have no further information on the accidents.”
Police spokesperson Andre Traut said they had not received communication from the station with regard to the crash.