The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has confirmed that a damaged stormwater system caused the sinkhole on Pennyweight Avenue.

The sinkhole appeared on November 20 when a delivery van got stuck while leaving Kyle O’Brien’s driveway after dropping off the family’s dogs. The ground suddenly gave way under the vehicle, leaving a deep hole right in the middle of their driveway. The family now has to park their cars on the street because they cannot drive into their yard.

• Read the initial article here: Driveway sinkhole leaves homeowner stranded

According to Kyle, they reported the problem right away, and the stand-in ward councillor, Devon Steenkamp, raised concerns that earlier inspections and better maintenance might have prevented the collapse from becoming this serious.

“The sinkhole formed as a result of a dislodged stormwater system,” said the JRA’s head of Regional Operations, Khaya Gqibitole. He also added that the damaged area has been blocked off to keep people safe. Kyle confirmed this, saying a cone has been put in place in front of the sinkhole.

Gqibitole further explained that it is not yet known when the repairs will be done. “We anticipate completing the repairs before the end of December because the work needed is quite extensive,” he said.

For now, Kyle and his family are waiting for the repairs to begin and are hopeful the situation will be resolved soon. The Roodepoort Northsider will continue to follow up on the repair progress and provide updates.