Businesses along 5th Street in Wynberg said they were growing increasingly frustrated as a large hole caused by a burst pipe remains unrepaired months after the damage first occurred.

The road collapse outside number 72 5th Street has continued to disrupt access to businesses since October last year, raising safety concerns for customers, delivery vehicles, and employees. On April 15, business representatives and Ward 91 councillor Andrew Stewart revisited the site to assess progress. They found that the situation remained unchanged, with no visible repair work underway.

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Operations manager at Eurolux Johannesburg, Neels Smit, said, “The situation is still the same. We haven’t seen anyone from any entity come to the site, and there has been no progress.”
Smit added that the damaged road continued to affect customer access and daily operations. Businesses said repeated follow-ups with city departments have yielded little response, leaving them uncertain about when repairs would begin.

Stewart said he had escalated the matter to multiple officials at the Johannesburg Roads Agency and Johannesburg Water.

“We have followed up with various offices and directors, but we are still waiting for a formal response and a timeline for repairs. This situation has been ongoing for months, and businesses continue to suffer,” he said. The councillor warned that prolonged delays in infrastructure repairs could have serious economic consequences for local businesses that relied on accessible roads and safe operating conditions.

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The hole remains cordoned off, but business owners said the lack of visible progress had deepened frustration and uncertainty. Questions were again sent to the Johannesburg Roads Agency and Johannesburg Water, requesting clarity on responsibility for the repairs, the cause of the burst pipe, steps taken to address the damage, safety measures in place, and the expected timeline for repairs, on April 15.

The publication also sought information on whether contractors had been appointed and whether any technical, budgetary or administrative challenges were contributing to the delay. By the time of publication, neither entity had responded to the questions. Follow-up requests were sent on April 20, but no response had been received.

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