Sinkholes have been affecting Lyttelton for the past 10 years, not only with regards to the infrastructure and safety, but also in terms of the value of houses.
A Lyttelton resident recently contacted Rekord to voice her concerns about the sinkholes in this suburb, especially since her home’s value has decreased because of them. Henriëtte le Roux realised that her property’s value was declining after she recently placed a portion of her property on the market and lost the potential buyer due to the poor maintenance of the infrastructure by the Tshwane metro.
The buyers withdrew from the deal and Le Roux suspected it was due to the fact that the Lyttelton area was prone to sinkholes. “I suspected that the municipality discouraged people from buying in Lyttelton and that this might affect my property’s value,” she commented. “What is the municipality going to do to prevent this from happening and will they upgrade the infrastructure?”
According to Selby Bokaba, the executive director of the strategic department at the Tshwane metro, the market values of the affected properties with regard to the Municipal Property Rates Act are adjusted as soon as information of sinkhole occurrences becomes available.
Some estate agents are of the opinion that people are wary of buying or renting property in Lyttelton. An estate agent who wants to remain anonymous told Rekord that he did not do business in Lyttelton due to the lack of demand. However, this is not always the case. Glenda Wolter, also an estate agent in Lyttelton and the surrounding areas, said last year was her best year in sales. Wolter was of the opinion that people wanted to buy property in Lyttelton because it was an old, established area, with large houses and gardens. “I sold a lot of properties to young couples who wanted to buy a less expensive house and restore it.”
According to Wolter, she did not mislead her clients or avoid telling them about the sinkholes, and yet they still sought to purchase and rent in the area. “People still want to stay in Lyttelton.” Lyttelton is one of Centurion’s oldest suburbs. The suburb was marked out on the farm Droogegrond in 1904 and Lyttelton Manor Extension 1 was established in 1942.
Rekord previously investigated and found that the sinkholes do not occur due to the dolomite itself, but rather due to poor maintenance on the area’s infrastructure. Professor Louis van Rooy from the University of Pretoria has done extensive research on dolomite and established that sinkholes occur over a long period of time and are mainly due to leaking water pipes.
The Tshwane metro has put plans in motion to repair the sinkholes in Lyttelton and the surrounding areas. The reparation of the sinkhole in Pretorius Avenue is almost complete after nearly two years. “The dynamic compaction works are completed and the rehabilitated level is approximately 800mm below the road level,” Bokaba said. “Soil compacted layers and layer works in the roadway are now in progress. This will be followed by reinstatement works.”
As for the sinkhole in Clifton Avenue, which appeared last year, Bokaba said the contractor had taken over the site and reparations were underway. “A modified storm water diversion channel has been constructed around the area to be excavated. This sinkhole is somewhat complicated due to the presence of numerous services in the area, including Rand Water. This also means that the necessary authorisation and agreements must be obtained, which are in progress,” Bokaba said. The Tshwane metro established that construction activities would commence once all of the requirements were in place.
The question regarding a plan to improve the infrastructure in Lyttelton where sinkholes are prone to occur has not been answered by the metro.
