Flats residents fear gat
|Published
HAZARD: Heideveld mense say road hole is a threat. Picture supplied
Heideveld mense fear a moerse hole in their road could form a sinkhole and swallow them up.
Residents living in Katberg Road claim the hole was left by a City of Cape Town contractor, and are now bang after seeing videos of a recent road collapse in Lavender Hill.
Mom Gabeebah Jacobs, 57, said they raised concerns after cars mounted the pavement to avoid the hole and nearly collided with her wheelchair-bound daughter.
“They came and made this gat a few days ago. If you look you can see water has already collected, and we are bang we will also have a sinkhole like the people in Lavender Hill,” she said.
“The cars have to drive right around to dodge it and you can see the soil underneath the tar is already loose. We fear for our safety; how can they just leave it like that?”
Mayco member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, explained that the City is diverting a sewer pipeline to the road that is currently traversing a private property.
He said that there is enough space for vehicles to pass, yet the Daily Voice has seen motorists mount the pavements.
“The work is still in progress and should be completed in the next two weeks, but this would be weather-dependent,” added Badroodien.
“The excavation was needed to install a relocated pipeline and the associated manholes.
“The directorate has structurally stabilised the trench to prevent it from collapsing. The water that is seen is groundwater that is being pumped out.”
Over a week ago a woman was hurt when a City dirt truck landed in a sinkhole. Badroodien said it was found that the sewer line in Lavender Hill was ageing and had deteriorated due to sulphuric acid corrosion.
“The collapsed sewer is currently being repaired,” he said.