VIDEO: Snake Road sinkhole sparks safety concerns among Brakpan commuters
Road users are urged to prepare for yet another closure of the road.
The formation of a sinkhole on the left shoulder of Snake Road (towards the N12) has many Brakpan motorists who make use of the road daily fearing that the road may soon collapse.
Anton Koen, of NoJack Vehicle Tracking, posted a video of the hole on his Facebook page, warning motorists to remain vigilant when making use of one of the city’s major arterial roads.
Golden Drive and the surrounding areas are notorious illegal mining hotspots. Upon visiting the site, the Benoni City Times (sister paper of the Brakpan Herald) found that a portion of the left-hand lane, towards the Golden Drive intersection, has been cordoned off, funnelling traffic into a single lane.
Under the watchful eye of suspected illegal miners, the publication approached the hole, which measures just under a meter in width.
“Looking inside, one can see a tunnel as well as hessian bags filled with sand just under the tarred surface. Our fears have been confirmed, illegal mining is causing extensive damage to the city’s infrastructure, which may soon lead to its total collapse. This is another Rondebult Road disaster waiting to happen,” said Koen.
Collapsed excavations towards the left of the road revealed more tunnels near the surface. Ward 27 Clr Lornette Joseph confirmed that the Roads Department and Rand Water have been notified of the development, as it may be in line with the utility’s pipeline.
“A site inspection will be conducted to establish the exact cause. Once completed a plan will be actioned,” she said.
Karl Rautenbach, of the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus), stated on July 10 that the party has requested that the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE), urgently address the matter.
@benonicitytimes Members of the community are concerned about a new sinkhole that’s developed on Snake Road towards Golden Drive. #Benoni #ekurhuleni #benonitiktok
“The CoE cannot ignore this like they ignore of other sinkholes throughout the metro. Repairs must be prioritised as failure to do so will endanger the lives of motorists who make use of this road daily,” he said.
This is not the first time that extensive sinkhole repairs have had to be conducted on Snake Road. The road was closed in 2019 and reopened in October 2020.
In November 2021, the road was once again closed, from Pioneer Drive to Golden Drive, following the development of yet another sinkhole, measuring 15m wide and 15m deep.
A broken stormwater concrete pipe was allegedly at the root of the issue. Comment was requested from the CoE, but none was received at the time of publication.
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