Community leader Nosiviwe Mgaba shows the SunTeam the hole that swallowed a man from her kasi. Photo by Misheck Makora
RESIDENTS from New Khaltsha in Khayelitsha were left horrified after a tragic incident on Friday, 29 November.
A man was buried alive while digging a toilet.
Two men were working on digging a hole outside a shack when the walls of the pit collapsed, trapping one of them underneath.
“It was painful to see him die while we couldn’t save him,” said residents speaking about the dreadful event.
The surviving man, who had been digging alongside the victim and attempted to rescue him, was nearly buried alive himself.
However, residents managed to save him by pulling him out from the sand that had swallowed him up to his waist.
Community leader Chrislyn de Jareg said: “We slept by the hole all night trying to help him, but we couldn’t retrieve him. The rescue services came, but every time they dug, more sand would slide down, collapsing the hole further. It felt like quicksand; we’re heartbroken.”
Community leader, Nosiviwe Mgaba shows SunTeam the hole that swallowed a man from her kasi. Photo by Misheck Makora
Another community leader, Nosiviwe Mgaba, said rescue services were delayed by a newly erected wall, forcing them to park far and walk to the scene.
“If they had arrived early and accessed the site directly, his life might have been saved,” Mgaba said.
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Jodine Buekes, also a community leader, said although communal toilets are available, residents often seek individual facilities.
“He died while digging a toilet for his neighbour. Losing such a young person under these tragic circumstances is devastating. We regarded him as our own child,” she said.
The man’s family wasn’t ready to speak to the media immediately after the incident.
Police spokesman Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the investigation.
“Lingelethu West police have registered an inquest for the incident occurring on Saturday, 30 November 2024, at about 7am in New Khaltsha, Endlovini, where the body of a 26-year-old man was recovered.
“Reports indicate the victim was digging a hole when it collapsed on him. A postmortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death,” said Twigg.
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