Watery sinkhole
Bystanders help Eugene van der Walt to get his bike out of the hole.
A 46-year-old motorcyclist had a lucky escape on Thursday morning when he drove into a deep hole at the intersection of Monument Road and Commissioner Street.

But as big as his surprise was when he suddenly disappeared underneath the water, so much bigger was a motorist's surprise when a man suddenly appeared from what he believed to be a big pool of water on the road.

Eugene van der Walt (46) spoke to Express on the scene. He said he was on his way to Gavendish Glen on his Scrambler when he drove into the hole.

"I was on my way to draw money and had just polished my bike, as I was going for my driver's licence. When I got to the intersection, the light was green for me.

"I saw a lot of mud and water and thought I would drive through it slowly, because I didn't want to get my bike dirty. Next thing I knew I was underwater, it felt like I was drowning," said Van der Walt.


He managed to climb out of the hole with only a few scratches. "I walked home, which was just around the corner, took a shower and came back. I called my friends for help to get my bike out of the hole."

A motorist, waiting at the red light on Commissioner Street at the time, said he could not believe what he saw when Van der Walt suddenly appeared in front of him.

The metro police closed the road on both sides of Monument Road and Commissioner Street.

The hole was caused as a result of a water pipe burst underneath the road on Thursday morning around 6am.

Lufuno Netshiluvhi, Kempton park depot manager at the department of water and sanitation, said: "A fire hydrant burst on the corner of Pascoe and Commissioner streets last night. The hydrant was closed, which resulted in pressure building up in the pipes. This pressure caused the pipe to burst on Monument Road, causing an overflow of water, which affected the road surface. We have turned off the water to repair the pipe."

"Surrounding areas such as Nimrod Park, Aston Manor and Kempton Park ext 2, 3, 4 and 5 have been affected. The water is expected to be off until 2pm this afternoon. Water tankers will be supplied at Allen park and Gavendish Glen Checkers," said DA ward councillor, Jaco Terblanche.

"After we have fixed the water pipe, the roads department will close the hole," said Netshiluvhi.

He could not say when the road would be repaired.