Whilst the focus of the damages caused last week, by the heavy rains, was on the R55 and other parts of Tshwane, Erasmia residents were in shock when this past Tuesday news spread of a sinkhole in their area.
A large truck carrying bricks was almost swallowed by a sudden sinkhole that appeared on Eli Street in Erasmia this past Tuesday (March 27) at around 12pm, not far from an old sinkhole, just metres away on Bodenstein Street, that occurred in 2017.
The still jolted driver of the truck, Willmot Quabe (59), said that this was the first time he had experienced something as unexpected as this, since he began driving trucks in 1979.
“As I was coming to a stop on Eli Street and was about to turn left onto Bodenstein Street, I felt the truck lurch forward and a loud bang followed. At first I thought that a tyre had probably blown out. But then I felt the truck sinking slowly and I just knew that something was terribly wrong. When I opened my door, I was astonished with what I saw. The ground beneath the truck had collapsed and I immediately told my assistant to get off quickly from the driver's side because I thought that the ground might swallow the entire truck,” Willmot exclaimed.
“I am glad that my work colleague and I were not hurt and can only thank the Almighty for protecting us from this sudden disaster. It could have been a lot worse than this. I was traveling from Bronkhurspruit and had a delivery to do in Erasmia. I really want to thank the Erasmia community who assisted me in contacting the company I work for, to tell them about the unfortunate incident,” Willmot added.
Residents in the area blame the council for not attending to the previous sinkhole which they believe led to the new sinkhole forming. “Our biggest fear now, is that the houses in the area are at risk, as rainwater continues to flow into the old sinkhole causing further damage,” said Abdul Saleh, a nearby resident.
A truck driver was stunned this week as he felt his truck sinking into Eli Street in Erasmia.
The gaping sinkhole in Erasmia, after the truck had been towed out.