To a layman, it sure looked like the apocalypse had started —the earth suddenly opened up and swallowed a car in the Cape Town suburb of Crawford on Saturday.
However, city officials were quick to confirm that it was not the beginning of the end. A burst sewage pipe had washed away soil under the tar on the corner of Burnwood and Gordon roads.
The road collapsed when a Kia hatchback drove over it, and started swallowing the car as the driver and passenger scrambled to get out.
Uzair Cajee drove past the spot earlier on Saturday and saw cones in the road.
“On my way back I saw people standing there with the car’s nose in the hole,” he said.
“People even came from neighbouring areas to watch as many found it hard to believe that such a small, lightweight car had made the road cave in.”
Local resident Peter Stevens, 59, said it would be easy for a person under the influence of alcohol to drive into the hole at night.
It was still exposed on Monday afternoon, but later municipal workers were working on it.
City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for utility services Ernest Sonnenberg said it is suspected a ruptured sewage pipe caused the sudden collapse.
The owner of the hatchback is expected to complete a public liability claim to the city in order to be compensated.
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