WATCH: Authorities take a step towards fixing Rondebult Road sinkhole
Many motorists have also bemoaned an ‘absence’ of pointsmen to help direct traffic on busy Boksburg roads.
While authorities remain mum about the delayed work to fix the problematic Rondebult Road sinkhole, the Boksburg Advertiser has established that the Council for Geoscience (CGS) has last week made the first step towards the process to rehabilitate the stretch of road.
This comes after months of what road users described as inaction and lack of commitment by the government to take remedial action to fix the sinkhole, which has resulted in gridlocked traffic on all alternative routes. Load-shedding has compounded such traffic woes.
After being inundated with complaints from readers, we revisited the site last week and coincidentally met members of the CGS, who revealed that they were sent out to examine in detail the possible cause of the Rondebult Road sinkhole.
Both the metro and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy have not yet responded to our request for more information on the issue.
However, it’s understood that the outcome of the CGS investigation will determine the appropriate remedial action to be taken and who should – between the metro and provincial government – undertake and fork out for the repairs.
Early in February, a sinkhole opened up in the northbound hard shoulder of Rondebult Road in Comet, prompting the metro to completely close this section of the road as a precautionary measure.
The closure has since created a nightmare for motorists, causing the worst traffic congestion and delays for cargo transporters, deliveries and commuters travelling to work on a daily basis.
A concerned resident of Comet, Gugulethu Dumakude, whose home is located near the sinkhole, is appealing to the government to fast-track the process to fix the road because it also threatens the stability of their houses.
According to him, it also has a devastating effect on the economy and the environment.
“We the residents of Comet are living in fear because there have experienced some seismic events after this hole opened up. The hole is growing day by day and we don’t know what is going to happen to our houses if this hole is left to continue growing like this,” said Dumakude.
“Furthermore, we also have a serious problem of traffic jams that even leaving our homes to join Rondebult Road has become a nightmare with the bumper-to-bumper situation in the morning and afternoon rush hours.
“Besides the traffic, the road closure also destabilizes the local economy because most of the trucks transporting goods use this road, but now they are always delayed to deliver goods, and people are always late for work.
“So we are requesting the government to please assist us with this road as soon as possible because both residents and businesses are not coping any more.”
The metro had previously told the Boksburg Advertiser that no progress on the repairs was made because little has been achieved in discussions between itself and the provincial Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).
An effort to start the remedial process was reportedly marred by a back-and-forth between the city and the Council for Geoscience (CGS) over the best course of action and who is responsible for the repair.
The city had initially referred the matter to the CGS because it believes the DMRE should take responsibility as the sinkhole might have been the result of mining activities in the area. However, the CGS shipped the matter back to the metro, saying it is the city’s responsibility to do the repairs.
The metro had in our previous story admitted that the road closure has a disastrous impact on many sectors of the region’s economy, particularly economic activities dependent on the city’s road network.
The metro spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, said the city fully understands the urgency of an early intervention to reopen the road because it is one of the critical routes vital to the region’s economic well-being.
“It links producers to markets, workers to jobs and provides access to the airport and many social activities. We thank motorists for their understanding and ask them for patience while the city works with other stakeholders to address the problem,” said Dlamini.
EMPD
We have also previously reported that many motorists have also bemoaned an ‘absence’ of pointsmen to help direct traffic on busy Boksburg roads.
The EMPD media liaison officer, Inspector Kobeli Mokheseng, told this publication that EMPD officers, including traffic wardens, were deployed to control traffic and divert it to alternative routes during peak times.
Also Read: WATCH: Whose job is it to fix the Rondebult Road sinkhole?
