FOLLOW-UP: VIDEO: City of Ekurhuleni cannot afford to fix sinkholes

This February marks two years since the section of Rondebult Road in Comet was closed as a precautionary measure after two massive sinkholes opened up in the area.
Authorities are still battling to secure funding to rehabilitate this much-needed public infrastructure in Boksburg.

The delay has left many residents, particularly road users, forced to put up with traffic nightmares.
There are still questions about whether the government would ever start repair work, or at least find a solution to the ever-growing problems emanating from the prolonged road closure.
Misalignment among government departments in the three spheres of government was identified as the big elephant in the room, derailing the anticipated rehabilitation of the sinkhole-damaged stretch of the road.

Responding to the Boksburg Advertiser’s request for the latest update on the city’s plan to rehabilitate this critical infrastructure, City of Ekurhuleni council speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga said a preliminary assessment has revealed the city cannot afford to carry the cost of this long overdue rehabilitation of the stretch of road.
This is because of the sinkholes are rapidly increasing in growth.

This new development, however, runs counter to what the Ekurhuleni administration recently promised, saying the city had put money aside to fund the rehabilitation project.
Tshivhenga, who late last year conducted an oversight visit to the site of the sinkholes and promised to use her position to engage the other parties to expedite the rehabilitation process, said the city has been battling to get key stakeholders to come on board.

She pointed out her office’s efforts to win buy-in from at least eight key government departments, from the provincial and national governments, garnered responses from two departments, the Minister of Transport and Roads, Barbara Creecy, and the MMC for Community Safety, Sizakele Masuku.

The speaker said because the investigations carried out by the city revealed that previous and current mining activities caused the subsidence damage to the public infrastructure, her office had on November 7 last year undertaken steps to establish a multidisciplinary committee to conduct an integrated assessment.

This would include but not be limited to geological, structural, environmental and traffic management studies that will be integrated to formulate a viable solution for repairs to the road.
Communication from her office requested a submission of representatives from official offices to form part of the multi-disciplinary committee. On a national level, they were the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, and the Minister of Transport and Roads, Barbara Creecy.

On a provincial level, they were Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi, MEC of Infrastructure, Development and COGTA, Jacob Mamabolo, MEC of Treasury and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, MEC of Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, and the MEC of Transport and Roads Kedibone, Diale-Tlabela.
Given the limited engagement from other national and provincial departments, the office of the speaker said it had on November 22 formally requested the Ekurhuleni Mayor Doctor Xhakaza to address the sinkhole issue in the executive war room.

The sinkhole is to be fixed soon
The new information, however, runs counter to the city manager Dr Imogen Mashazi’s recent remarks.
Mashazi, who also blamed the situation on mining activities, said the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) typically deals with issues resulting from mining activities, which in this case, is supposed to help the city close those sinkholes and the disused mines.

“As a responsive city, we have set aside money, which the city spent on investigating how to fix the affected road. A budget has been set aside, and we have developed plans for the sinkholes to be closed soon.
“It is not like we are not doing anything. We have been working on addressing the problem. Studies have been made on how to close the sinkholes. We are working with the Department of Energy towards the desired goal.”
The Advertiser received no comment from the city’s administration and DMRE at the time of going to press.