A LONG-STANDING sinkhole on South Coast Road in Clairwood, into which a trailer truck had plunged, has finally been repaired. Following enquiries from The SUN, the eThekwini Municipality repaired the long-neglected sinkhole last week.

Also read: Just in: Clairwood blaze destroys four homes

A trailer truck was travelling southbound when the driver lost control, causing it to plunge into a sinkhole on May 28 at around 03:00.

No injuries were reported and the truck was removed at around 10:00. The accident caused significant traffic congestion as the road had to be closed to traffic during the recovery operation.

According to residents the sinkhole was caused by an underground water leak that has been active for over three years.

Residents voice their concerns

A resident, Rishi Jugdeo, said roads in Clairwood were never designed for trucks.

“The underground leaking pipe probably caused erosion of the soil, leaving a weak layer on top. When the truck drove over it, the ground collapsed, resulting in significant damage to the truck and a nearby underground dwelling.

“Trucks should not be allowed to travel in Clairwood roads as they damage the roads, houses and endanger pedestrians. eThekwini Municipality has failed to repair potholes, causing them to become sinkholes.”

Another resident, Ashveer Padaruth, said, “Last week [officials from eThekwini Municipality] came and removed the storm water manhole cover located in the middle of the driveway entrance. Several cars drove into it and got stuck. We had to tow some of them out.”

Padaruth said the small hole first appeared about half a metre from the manhole in the middle of the driveway entrance.

“On May 26, municipal workers came [to South Coast Road] to inspect (the sinkhole), but left without taking action. By Tuesday, the hole had widened. They returned, looked again, and left,” said Padaruth.

He said the recent rains caused the hole to grow larger.

“My team tried to place materials around it to prevent an accident, but the hole kept swallowing everything. I contacted eThekwini Municipality and received a reference number, but no further response. I also found a WhatsApp number listed on their website, which is advertised as a 24/7 reporting line,” he said.

eThekwini Municipality responds to community concerns

Spokesperson for eThekwini Municipality Gugu Sisilana said this is a repeat underground leak that was fixed in 2020 and 2022, but it reappeared on May 27.

“It is not true that the sinkhole reports and complaints from the community were ignored and not attended to since 2020,” said Sisilana.

She added that according to system information eThekwini Water and Sanitation Department conducted:

• Repairs to a reported burst pipe at 443 South Coast Road on June 9, 2020.
• Field teams utilised a TLB to expose the pipe both on the road and the driveway

She said all reinstatement measurements were duly submitted to the Roads Department for action.

Quality site inspection was conducted

“System information also reflects that a Quality Site inspection was conducted by both Water Operations Superintendent and Auxiliary Service Movement Controller after the leak was fixed and the job was completed,” said Sisilana.

According to eThekwini, the Roads Department conducted the inspection and identified the source of the sinkhole to be a water leak – which the municipality has previously attended to and repaired in 2020 and 2022.

Following the collapse of the sinkhole which has sparked community concerns about the road’s safety, Sisilana said the Roads Department has handed over the works to the Water Department, who have in turn completed the repairs on the leak and restored water supply.

Also read: Man killed by truck in Clairwood, police investigate

“The Roads Department will thereafter take over and complete all other remedial works following the repairs.

“To ensure safety, the affected area has been cordoned and extensive work will commence to verify that the underground leak has been fixed. This is an extensive job which cannot be completed in a day,” she added.

The repairs will include the following:

• Removing rubble,
• Backfilling, and tarring the road to patch the sinkhole.

The eThekwini Municipality has yet to provide a response regarding the cause of the recurring water leak that led to the sinkhole on South Coast Road.

R70.9b set aside for upcoming fiscal year

At the Draft 2025/26 Medium Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF), the council approved a budget of R70.9b for the upcoming fiscal year.

Mayor of eThekwini Cyril Xaba said the municipality will allocate R588m to build bulk infrastructure for various catalytic projects for the 2025/6 MTREF.

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