Looking back at Centurion’s sinkholes
The area has about 50 sinkholes that have affected roads, and even swallowed homes.
Centurion residents are all too familiar with sinkholes, as the area has about 50 of them that have led to road closures, service losses, and even swallowed homes.
According to Geoscience development council manager Willem Meintjies, the area is highly susceptible to sinkholes since it is underlain by dolomitic rock.
This type of sedimentary rock is similar to limestone and can dissolve and be broken down by acidic water.
According to Meintjies, sinkholes are often triggered by concentrated bodies of water seeping into the ground (ingress), or large scale groundwater abstraction, sometimes called dewatering.
He said in Centurion, research has shown that most cases arise due to the ingress of water from leaking infrastructure or storm water drainage.
While measures could be taken to reduce the occurrence of sinkholes and affected areas can be repaired, Meintjies said the occurrence of sinkholes was not easily predictable.
A portion of the M18 Main Road that runs through Irene was closed in February after the Department of Roads and Transport deemed it unsafe.
“The road subsidence was investigated by the metro’s geologist last year, who advised that it was not a sinkhole and was most probably caused by a water leak which has since been repaired.
“Main Road has been closed in the vicinity of Alexandra Road in the north, and Main Road and Pioneer Road in the south,” said ward councillor Gert Visser in February.
However, residents and local business took matters into their own hands and raised almost R500 000 to get the road repaired.
On April 20, Visser said: “Main Road, a provincial road, is open for traffic as of this afternoon.
“On March 4, the chairperson of ILA and I had a meeting to explore possible solutions to repair and reopen Main Road as soon as possible.
“It was discussed that the way forward is to consider an informal public-private-partnership.”
Meanwhile, a sinkhole in Clifton Avenue continued to grow, engulfing nearby houses, while criminals took advantage.
In mid-November 2022, Elvis Mathaba was asked to make alternative living arrangements when the sinkhole endangered his home.
Mathaba said: “What makes it even worse is that the criminals are beginning to strip this house. The municipality doesn’t provide any protection for the property.”
He said his house had been stripped of taps, cladding, wiring and light fittings.
“If they could get the pipes out of the walls, those would be gone too,” he said.
In April, two more sinkholes formed in Thaba Tshwane, closing yet another road in the area.
Paul Kruger Road was closed when a sinkhole developed on March 28.
Councillor Shaun Wilkinson confirmed the sinkholes had been reported to the relevant authorities.
“For safety reasons, the road (Paul Kruger Road) after the rail line has been cordoned off,” he said in a statement.
“All relevant authorities have been notified to determine the way forward.”
A wall was later built across the road, permanently closing the route.
Soon after, business owners in the area said they were being throttled by the sinkholes.
“We are very frustrated. It all started just over six years ago at the dumpsite when the first sinkhole formed,” said Waheeda Yacoob, who owns a shop with her husband, Ismail, in Valhalla.
“This road created a shortcut to bypass traffic, which made the shopping complex one that these people used all the time,” she said.
“The sinkholes have hit us by a lot. We were already trying to recover from the lockdown, now we are sitting with a situation where we have lost about 50% of our customers,” said Azghar Amod, who owns a petrol station at the shopping complex.
“Sinkholes in my ward remain a huge problem,” said ward councillor Ina Strijdom.
In August, a new one had developed in Burger Street in Lyttelton.
Residents said they first noticed it in the early hours of Sunday, August 6, when a small crack appeared in the road.
By the morning, it had spread across the road and into the property, and measured about 3m in depth.
“We immediately began evacuating, we tried to get as much out as possible. It is a tragedy, but this has brought the community together,” said resident Anel Grobler.
About seven families were evacuated.
A large sinkhole in John Vorster Drive formed in mid-December 2022 and led to the closure of all lanes on one side of the road.
While it remained unrepaired, a crossover road was completed in June to alleviate traffic congestion caused by the road closure.
“As of today, the traffic flow will be much better,” said ward councillor Gert Visser in June.
“The crossover will further alleviate the current traffic congestion, especially during peak hours,” he said.
A sinkhole that formed on the corner of Dan Pienaar Road and Len Beyers Avenue in June 2018, was finally repaired after five years.
The portion of road affected was reopened by the end of April.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said at the time that the next sinkhole in line for repair is located on the corner of Queen and Alexandra roads in Irene. Repair work will commence in the next financial year.
In a massive collaborative effort between Gauteng Roads and Transport (GPDRT), AfriForum, local business, private contractors and service providers, the M10 Wierda Road was reopened in October following its closure on November 13, 2022 due to a large sinkhole.
The road is a vital arterial route connecting the western suburbs with the Centurion CBD, N14 and N1 highway.
Concerned business owners from Lots of Pots, Sasol Lyttelton Manor, Royal Elephant Hotel, and the KappiChino coffee bar sought help from AfriForum, as the road closure adversely affected their businesses.
“Lots of Pots is very grateful for the cooperation and commitment we had from authorities and other stakeholders regarding the repair of Wierda Road,” said owner Pieter Smith.
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