Residents of Overcome Heights near Lavender Hill want authorities to cover up this huge sinkhole before tragedy strikes.
They say the hole is a “death trap” for little ones, especially now that it’s winter, and the hole can fill with water.
The gat is about a one-and-a-half metres wide and two metres deep, and appeared on Saturday in the main street leading into the camp.
Worried community leaders have now placed cement blocks around the deep hole to prevent children from falling into it or playing near it.
Last week, six-year-old Bryoeton Trompetter drowned in a large hole filled with water at a construction site in Valhalla Park.
The boy’s parents believe he had been fishing for tadpoles when he fell in.
But Fouzia Cassiem, chairperson of the Overcome Committee, says their pleas for a cover up have fallen on deaf ears.
“We called the City officials and the ward councillor Shaun August who has not responded,” she says.
“This is very dangerous because what if one of our little children falls into it, who will be held responsible?
“We are not sure how it formed as it’s hollow inside and filling with sand.
“What if rain water fills it up and kids swim in it and drown?”
Ward councillor August said yesterday he was unaware of the problem.
Selleca Lang, media liaison for the City of Cape Town, said they have received no reports about the hole.
“However, onsite inspection has taken place. We are urging the public to avoid the immediate area,” she says.