61-year-old Alex woman survives fall into sinkhole
What began as a small hole outside her doorstep became Nokwanda Ndike’s worst nightmare, a sudden collapse that swallowed her into a sinkhole.
After months of carefully navigating around a small hole near her Alexandra home, 61-year-old Nokwanda Ndike’s fears were realised when the ground suddenly collapsed beneath her feet, dropping her into a deep sinkhole.
Ndike said she only remembers the shock of finding herself inside the hole with huge pipes. “I don’t know what happened. I just found myself inside the sinkhole. I screamed for help,” she said.
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Despite falling through the concrete opening onto hard underground pipes, she survived without serious injuries. “I only sustained minor injuries; nothing broke. I hit my head and my leg. They called an ambulance, and took me to the hospital. I was told I was not badly injured.”
Her son, Unathi, said the hole had been growing steadily since it was first spotted. What began as a small cavity covered with a rock expanded into a gaping sinkhole.
Residents at Number 4, 7th Avenue had long been aware of the danger, and Ndike herself admitted she had always feared walking past it.
The problem goes beyond her home. A house situated just right next to Ndike’s home now stands empty after its occupant left, also citing signs of possible ground collapse. Unathi pointed to cracks beneath the door and cement that appears to be caving in.
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A 48-year-old resident, who asked not to be named, said they had thought about the dangers of living there, but the incident has worsened their anxiety. “We know it is not safe, but we have nowhere else to go. We are afraid. We have small children, and we are always worried when they play outside,” she said.
Ward 108 councillor Deborah Francisco sympathised with the family, but noted that the area was never meant for housing. “It’s a tributary [stream]; it is not a place where houses were supposed to be built,” she said.
Francisco added that similar cases had been raised before, with some residents removed from houses built on streams along 8th Avenue. “Unfortunately, development has taken place in areas that are not meant for housing, and this has created a lot of challenges,” she said.
With the rainy season now underway, many residents fear conditions will only get worse. Some said their greatest wish is to be moved from the area to a better and safer place.
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