Roodepoort currently has five reported sinkholes that are awaiting budget availability from the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) for repairs.

The sinkholes are located in Witpoortjie Estate, Etna and Snowdon streets in Florida Hills, De Vries Street in Wilro Park and the corner of Mijn and Van Wyk Street in Roodepoort CBD, and continue to be an eyesore to the public spaces.

The streets and entrances also remain closed for traffic.

According to JRA’s head of Infrastructure Development, Kwazelela Mcetywa, the entity plans to address the sinkholes and affected road infrastructure in these areas; however, implementing these projects is dependent on budget availability.

“Once the budget has been confirmed and committed towards each of the projects, then JRA can communicate the respective project timelines,” he said.

He also confirmed that there are no funds to undertake the repairs in Witpoortjie Estate, estimated at R65m in the current financial year.

“It is important to highlight that there are budget limitations that have an impact on project implementations.

The JRA Capital Expenditure Budget for the 2025/ 26 financial year was R912.8m to implement city-wide infrastructure projects, including road resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation projects, stormwater upgrades, gravel road upgrades, and traffic signal infrastructure upgrades against a greater backlog owing to ageing infrastructure, population density, high traffic volumes, and inclement weather.

“The annual capital continues to implement projects planned for the current year, and additional funds are needed to implement emergency projects such as the sinkholes in the Florida and Roodepoort areas,” he added.

The Witpoortjie Estate and Mjin Street sinkholes were caused by illegal mining activities, while Etna collapsed during a major storm in 2022.

Snowdon Street collapsed in December 2025 due to a sewerage pipe, and De Vries Street has been left open for four years after the repair of a sewage leak into the stormwater system.

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“The Snowdon Street works will be designed alongside the Etna Street project due to the connected stormwater system in the area.

“The De Vries project is currently under design stages, and the project cost will be confirmed once designs are finalised,” concluded Mcetywa.