Although the sinkholes along the R500 road are getting bigger, authorities have not yet said what they will do about the problem.

The section of the R500 between Carletonville and the N14 was closed in December when a sinkhole collapsed onto the road surface near Red Cap Ranch Lodge.

This forced authorities to close this section of the road and scrape a gravel road around the affected area.
The sinkhole that caved in is situated next to the Goudvlakte turn-off. Two other sinkholes have also caved in near the road at the same site.

The sinkholes most probably formed at the site because water had been damming up at the turn-off for years. Although residents tried to get help from the Gauteng Roads Department for years, their pleas fell on deaf ears. When the Herald visited the site recently, the sinkhole that caved in on the main road surface had grown so much that the sign that pointed to the Goudvlakte turn-off had collapsed into the sinkhole. The other sinkholes in the veld have also grown bigger.

Meanwhile, the road is still closed on both sides of the sinkhole, and vehicles are still relayed past the site on a temporary gravel road through the veld.

The Herald asked the Regional Manager of the Department of Roads and Transport in the Krugersdorp Region, Ms Bulelwa Thomas, when this department planned to fix the sinkholes.

No answers were received by printing time.