The City of Cape Town is addressing a recent incident involving the collapse of a section of road in Lavender Hill. Yesterday, 21 August, a refuse truck was driving in the area when the road unexpectedly caved in.
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The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management Alderman Grant Twigg, confirmed the incident and said there was no prior visible sign of damage on the road surface.
‘Contingency measures are being put in place to ensure minimal delays to refuse collection services in the area. Counselling is also available for staff if needed,’ said Alderman Twigg.
The incident is been investigated by the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.
‘Currently, the affected area has been cordoned off for safety reasons. The main priority at this stage is to ensure the area is structurally safe to recover the vehicle and then the necessary assessment of the area can be done to determine the cause of the incident, among which is a sewer collapse.
‘SAPS as well as the City’s Law Enforcement were also called to the site.
‘We urge residents to please stay away from the site for safety reasons. This request applies while the officials are recovering the vehicle and conducting the assessment as well as throughout the period when the remedial work is being done. Once the necessary assessment has been completed, the way forward to remedy the situation will be determined. We regret any inconvenience caused and ask the public to please co-operate with us during this time,’ said Councillor Badroodien.
Jermaine Carelse, a spokesperson for the City’s Fire and Rescue Service, said the team had received a call at approximately 9am, of a truck stuck in a hole in Lavender Hill, on Monday, 21 August.
‘We dispatched a technical rescue vehicle with a crane and a crew from Wynberg to have the truck removed from the roadway.
‘An adult female sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital.
‘Another towing service arrived to assist as the vehicle is extremely heavy. This is an ongoing scene at present,’ said Carelse.
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