Witpoortjie residents plagued by sinkholes
One major sinkhole is blocking the estate's main entrance and another at a recreational park.
Residents of Witpoortjie Estate have been plagued by dangerous sinkholes for many years, which they suspect are caused by illegal mining activities.
During a visit, the Roodepoort Record spotted a number of deep sinkholes in different parts of the estate, one of them blocking the main entrance and another one at a recreational park posing risks to children. A business also had to close down due to this issue.
Also read: Sinkholes expose infrastructure crisis
According to resident Baile Madingwane, the sinkholes have been developing in the area and have not been fixed for more than two years.
“This area is surrounded by abandoned mines. We reported this issue and the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) only fenced the area [of the sinkhole], closed the road and opened a temporary route [which later developed potholes] but nothing major has been done. We had a protest a few weeks ago in an attempt to have our temporary road fixed,” he says.
Madingwane says the developer in the area was willing to assist with closing the sinkholes, however, JRA did not approve this move for unknown reasons.
“We have been told there’s no risk, but we still live in fear because of our investments. Who is going to want to buy a property when they see there are problems? There are sinkholes and the grass is long, so you can’t see them. Our children like to play in the park and could fall in,” Madingwane expressed.
Another concerned resident, Mothusi Mosome, said they are not only vulnerable to illegal miners but are also exposed to crime caused by the illegal miners.
JRA’s head of department for Regional Operations, Khaya Gqibitole claims that the developer in the area appointed a service provider to investigate and propose a solution to the sinkholes but did not give a clear answer as to what has been done the past two years.
“The sinkhole was fenced around to ensure safety for the residents and JRA had a meeting with the developer and the ward councillor a day before the protest. The councillor was part of the meeting so that he could provide feedback to the community.
“Additionally, we carried out gravelling of the temporary route, and we are in the process of identifying locations for road signs, which will assist with smooth traffic control. We will also continue to maintain the temporary route until the repairs to the sinkhole are carried out,” Gqibitole said.
