WATCH: Ekurhuleni metro can’t afford to fix sinkhole-ravaged Rondebult Road
The best option to repair is set to cost about R150m. However, efforts to start remedial work has been experiencing delays due to various factors.
The two giant sinkholes have been causing headaches since they appeared in February last year on the northbound and southbound hard shoulders of the busy stretch of Rondebult Road close to Main Reef Road.
Their appearance led to the closure of the entire road, causing diversions and long delays on the alternative routes at peak hours.
To express the City of Ekurhuleni’s commitment to have the road fixed and reopened to the public, Ekurhuleni’s council speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga, accompanied by senior officials, conducted an oversight visit to the site of the sinkholes, located on the border of Comet and Plantation on Tuesday morning.
Addressing the media during the oversight, Tshivhenga said her office was prompted to inspect the road after having been inundated with complaints from residents who expressed grave concerns and frustrations at the almost two-year delay to fix the road.
“This is a very critical road located in an area where there are lots of economic and social activities. It’s connecting major roads and the city’s economic hubs, and the impact of closure has been quite devastating.
“Down the road, we have mega housing developments, major shopping centres, a hospital, and we are going to have a new university established in this area.
“The OR Tambo International Airport is just a few kilometers down the road. So you can imagine the number of people using the road daily.
“It’s also connecting industrial sites such as Jet Park which boasts lots of industries.
The speaker reiterated that the city’s investigations into the matter indicate that the sinkholes that swallowed the city’s road are a result of subsidence caused by mining activities in the vicinity.
“Preliminary reports indicated that about five mineshafts are converging at this spot. That being the case, work to rehabilitate the road as soon as possible requires a multi-governmental approach.
“Considering that mining falls under the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), we are going to intensify our remedial efforts by partnering with this department and other stakeholders.
Tshivhenga said further information on a resolution and detailed plan about the repairs of the sinkholes will be communicated after engagements with all the relevant parties.
Shifting the responsibility
Ward 33 Clr Ashley Hoods and Ward 32 Clr Marius de Vos, whose wards are affected by the hole, also joined the walkabout.
Hoods echoed some of the speaker’s sentiments saying the remedial work calls for an intergovernment approach.
Seen with Ward 32 Cl Marius de Vos during the oversight visit is Ekurhuleni’s council speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga.
CoE still has no budget for holey Rondebult Road
MMC weighs in on the plan
The city’s MMC of Roads and Transport Planning, Andile Mngwevu, also during a recent oversight visit of the gas tanker blasted bridge, vowed to fast-track the process to have multi-stakeholder negotiations and cross-sector collaboration to find ways to remediate the problem as quickly as possible.
“The road belongs to the city and we have the responsibility to fix it, but we found that part of the cause is underground mining activities. Hence we decided we must engage mining to see what role they can play because they have caused our infrastructure to collapse.
“We have also realised that this road at some point, about 20 years ago, collapsed. The city fixed it, but because it was continuously affected by the underground mining it collapsed again.”
Civil engineering consultant appointed to do the proposals for repairs said the city has the following two options to reconstruct the road.
The viable option, which would entail constructing an overhead bridge, is estimated to cost R150m and this cost can clean out the department’s budget. Which means it will be left unable to do other roadworks.
The cheapest option for consideration provided that there is still a solid foundation, is expected to cost a minimum of between R40m and R50m. However, the MMC said opting for the cheapest option would mean anticipating that 20 years later it collapses again because of the ongoing illegal mining activities.
“With all the stakeholders, we can go for the permanent solution so that we no longer interact with the underground mining activities. The private sector is also welcome to come on board and contribute, because the road closure also affects businesses.”
Members of the Council for Geoscience were in August last year spotted on-site examining the possible cause of the sinkholes.
Multi-million rand project on cards
Mike Macfarlane, the owner of the land adjacent to the stretch of road, said the sinkholes are blocking a new development that could create at least more than 120 job opportunities during the construction phase and more than 100 long-term jobs thereafter.
Mike Macfarlane“As part of our proposal, we intend to invest around R120m in constructing a warehouse complex that will unlock commercial ventures and ultimately create more job opportunities for residents.
“We hope that the municipality will speed up things because as interested and affected party we have for a while been trying to find answers about remediation work.”
Also Read: WATCH: Whose job is it to fix the Rondebult Road sinkhole?
