Cape Town - The driver of this car got a ‘moerse skrik’ when a sinkhole opened up in the road and swallowed his car.
The incident took place on the corner of Burwood Road and Gordon Road in Rondebosch East on Saturday after 1pm.
According to witnesses, the driver of the silver Kia Picanto and his 61-year-old passenger were not injured when they went nose-first into the massive hole.
Shocked onlookers said that the male driver managed to get out, hurrying to assist the elderly male passenger.
Extraordinary scene
Witness Uzair Cajee says he was driving past but came to a screeching halt when he saw the extraordinary scene.
“They just made it out in time with a little assistance from a passerby when the car then plunged a little deeper,” said Cajee.
He said that a resident, who lives near the scene, had earlier suspected trouble and took precautions.
Cajee added: “He actually placed three of those orange cones where he thought the sinkhole would appear. He went into his house and called the City of Cape Town to lodge a complaint.
“But his gardener came running in while he was still on the line to tell him that a car had just gone into the sinkhole nose-first. The sinkhole had appeared next to the cone.”
He said the two men appeared “fine, but shocked”.
“It is not everyday the road disappears from under you.”
A tow truck hoisted the car from the hole and the only visible damage was a cracked left fender. Democratic Alliance ward councillor for Ward 60, Mark Kleinschmidt, visited the area on Sunday and said an investigation was under way.
Stormwater the cause?
“Sinkholes are usually caused over a number of years by underground stormwater and would be happening in many of the older areas around the City,” he explained. “We are bringing in an engineer to survey the entire area.”
It is not clear who will be paying for the damage to the car.
The City of Cape Town did not respond to Daily Voice queries on Sunday.