MEC visits Hercules ‘sinkhole’

Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Road Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, visited Hercules in the west of Pretoria on Tuesday to inspect a “sinkhole” that has frustrated residents in the area for the past two weeks.

His visit was sparked by the complaints of residents of an alleged sinkhole, which started forming on the corner of Hendrick and Taljaard streets after a pipe burst nearly two months ago.

The residents told Rekord that the sinkhole was cause for major concern and they were fed up with the poor service delivery in the area.

During his visit, Mamabolo said he would be working with the Tshwane metro to ensure the issue was solved. The MEC said they would be supporting plans put in place by the metro that would ensure the road was fully functioning again.

“A road closed or not working affects the movement of people,” said Mamabolo.

“We are promoting smart mobility, we want the swift and seamless movement of freight and people from municipal, provincial and national roads.”

Mamabolo said the most worrying issue about the hole was the risk it posed to motorists. He said sealing and repairing the road were critical to protecting human lives.

Tshwane MMC for roads and transport, Dikeledi Selowa, said they were unsure of the exact date when the road would be fixed. She said the metro would need to identify the source of the excessive amount of water filling the hole.

She said the city would also employ a geologist to assess the damage before looking into road repairs.

“The MEC will talk to the CSIR about water testing in the water that keeps filling up the hole, as well as to provide the city with concrete barriers to seal off the affected area,” said Selowa.

Selowa reiterated what the city’s spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, said last week by adding that the hole was not a sinkhole.

“It is not a sinkhole. The problem comes from how the road was originally constructed and the wall sides of the road falling in when excavating,” she said.

The residents, whose complaints came after a delivery truck got stuck in the huge hole, said they were unaware of the MEC’s visit to the site. Residents also told Rekord last week that the area was plagued by constant water leaks and electricity interruptions.

Johan van Staden, a local resident, said they weren’t aware of the MEC visiting the site. He said nothing had changed in the area and the hole was still causing a lot of issues for residents.

“We are very frustrated about the hole. Even after the first article [in Rekord newspaper] nothing was done about this hole and it’s on one of the main streets which causes a lot of traffic,” said van Staden.

READ MORE: Huge ‘sinkhole’ in Hercules a hazard to motorists

A truck partially fell into the hole in the early morning hours of Friday, June 18.

“The truck driver was making deliveries and was not familiar with the area,” said Van Staden.

Selowa said the city was doing its best to ensure that the matter was resolved soon.

“We are doing everything possible to resolve this matter speedily considering that we also cannot have residents without water for a long duration of time if we were to cut the water supply,” said Selowa.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram