Ongoing work to secure the sinkhole at the corner of Burger Avenue and Langebrink Road in Lyttelton has been completed.

Residents have welcomed the metro’s efforts to properly fence off and stabilise the site after months of safety concerns.

While the presence of a sinkhole means residents can never feel entirely at ease, the visible progress on-site has brought a sense of relief to the community, who say that long-standing risks are finally being addressed.

Resident Joel Klopper, who lives near the sinkhole, said the installation of a proper fence already offers far greater peace of mind, as the open site had become increasingly hazardous in recent months.

He explained that the lack of secure barriers created a serious danger for children in the neighbourhood, who often passed by the area.

“It is comforting to know the site is being secured. Children are naturally curious, and without proper fencing, there was always the risk that one of them could get too close.”

Klopper said the community had repeatedly feared that an accident could occur at any moment and had been calling for proper intervention since the day the sinkhole appeared.

He added that residents are relieved the metro has now taken firm steps to safeguard the area, noting that the new fencing eases concerns for people walking or driving past the site each day.

“The steps being taken now give us some reassurance. Seeing real work on the ground shows that the matter is finally being taken seriously,” said Klopper.

“I also hope that the municipality will continue with regular inspections after the immediate work is completed, as residents do not want to see safety decline again.”

Resident Tracey Roots said the fence was long overdue and explained that the community had been calling for stronger safety measures for months because the site remained extremely dangerous without proper barriers.

“This has been needed for a long time, and we are relieved it is finally happening because the site is extremely dangerous.”

She added that the start of the rainy season has only heightened concerns, as residents fear that additional sinkholes may develop or existing ones may expand.

“I believe the municipality and the government must now prioritise repairing and monitoring sinkholes across Centurion. The recent heavy rains have caused concerns for a lot of us, as previous incidents have always occurred during this time,” added Roots.

In his latest update, PR Councillor Wesley Jacobs told Rekord that the sinkhole site is mostly fenced off, although recent inspections have revealed work that must be redone before the project can be completed.

Jacobs said the team has closed off the entire perimeter except for the northern side, which must remain open temporarily while the stormwater contractor completes the new inlet.

“The site is fenced off except for the area on the north side, as the team has to wait for the stormwater contractor to finish the new inlet that was built as an additional stormwater inlet,” he said.

He explained that although the new inlet is functional, during his oversight inspection and evaluation with the engineer on site, it was found that the quality of workmanship falls below the city’s standards.

He noted that the contractor’s structures are not acceptable and cannot be signed off.

“This is not at all the quality of work that the city can be liable for. The contractor will be instructed to redo the structures and reinforce them correctly to meet the required specifications.”

Jacobs added that the fencing material the metro was previously working to secure has been delivered, and teams were actively installing the fence during his visit.

“While I was on site, the teams were busy installing the fence for completion. There are also no stormwater leaks currently; all leaks were attended to, resolving the issue that was initially at hand.”

He explained that while weather remains a major obstacle slowing progress, the workmanship identified during inspection has introduced further delays because parts of the pipe inlet structure must be rebuilt.

“The weather is uncontrollable, but we can control the quality of work being done to make sure that we give our residents suitable service delivery. I would also estimate that the project is around 75% complete after accounting for the additional work required,” he said.

He added that most of the site has already been cleared, and according to the site supervisor, the remaining debris and materials will be removed once all construction is complete.

Jacobs stated that if the rainy weather does not cause any further delays, the estimated completion date remains before December 11.

“The city’s geologists have conducted their inspections and continue to monitor the site closely, as sinkholes are unpredictable and require ongoing observation.”

This update follows months of pressure from residents and builds on earlier progress reported when the metro began installing fencing poles and upgrading the stormwater system at the site.

Previous delays were caused by heavy rainfall and supply shortages that affected fencing material availability in Pretoria.

At the time, Jacobs said the metro sourced fencing from Johannesburg and explained that the northern side of the site needed to remain open to allow stormwater upgrades to proceed without damaging the new fence.

Earlier work also included the installation of a new stormwater pipe, though additional measures were planned after technicians found that water was flowing along the sidewalk instead of draining into the pipe.

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