“It sounded like a thunderstorm rolling towards our building,” explained a still shocked Sister Thabede.

Rushing out of their building in Egerton Road yesterday afternoon, she and co-workers watched the massive roadworks machine hurtling driver-less down the hill and smashing through the Dutch Reformed Church precast wall like it was made of matchsticks, before ending up on Number 6 Residency Road’s front lawn after smashing through the wall and gate, also hitting a tree in the front yard.

“It was only God that kept everyone alive. Nothing would have stopped that machine if it had not hit a massive tree in the yard,” she added. “Mother Nature saved lives.”

It is believed that the machine, which is used to help flatten newly-laid tar and weighs several tons, suffered a hydraulic failure. The machine does not have brakes and relies on its hydraulic system to slow it down or bring it to a stop.

Two massive breakdowns were used to move the massive machine.

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