LIVING around the south of Tshwane, especially in Centurion, has become riskier.
This is because numerous sinkholes continue to pop up.
Seven major sinkholes were discovered in the area, and this has led to road closures and some houses being swallowed.
The SunTeam visited some of the affected areas, and two houses were reportedly abandoned after partly being swallowed on Clifton Avenue in Lyttelton Manor.
A resident living near the sinkhole said they constantly live in fear that the hole will expand and destroy their homes too.
“The two houses belonged to our neighbours and I am fearful for my life because my house can also end up like theirs. I don’t have money to move anywhere else. I cannot sell the house, even if I wanted to,” she said.
Another sinkhole on the M10 in Irene has forced the Department of Roads and Transport to close the road and redirect traffic.
The residents and motorists using the road said they have not seen any action from the department to try and fix the road.
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Community leader Yusuf Abramjee told Daily Sun that the sinkholes caused a lot of inconveniences on the road.
“There is one sinkhole in Weirda Extension on the N14 road, and it has also been closed for months.
“People have to use detours, and this has caused a lot of pain to motorists and those working in the area and the government is just slow to fix them,” he said.
City of Tshwane spokesman Lindela Mashigo said the municipality has an incident management system in place to address the occurrence of sinkholes.
“We have recorded three new sinkholes since June 2022, and there were also expansions of two following heavy rainfall in November 2022.”
“The size of the sinkhole, site conditions, applicable rehabilitation methods and other services that have been affected are input factors into the cost to rehabilitate sinkholes,” he said.
He said that the city has an allocated budget for the rehabilitation of sinkholes and undertakes the work through relevant service providers.
“Regarding residents or property owners affected by sinkholes, the City is in regular contact with them. Property owners are advised to notify their insurance companies,” said Mashigo.
