Woodmere residents fear for their lives and safety as sinkhole problems continue.
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Anton de Montille has lived in the area for more than 20 years and he now worries for his family’s safety.
According to de Montille, for the past 10 years, sinkholes have formed on his property.
“The problem started in 2013 when I first experienced it. Since then my driveway and garden collapsed a number of times. The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) has not been much of help since then,” said De Montille.
“My neighbour has patches in his driveway because of the sinkholes.”
He said his son recently fell into a deep hole when his lawn collapsed.
“Fortunately he did not sustain serious injuries, but this leads to constant fear every time we walk on the lawn,” he said.
“One time my other son was showing his younger brother a hole in the ground. As he was instructing him not to play near the area, the ground underneath him also collapsed.
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“My garden is full of patches. We had to get bricks from a lady who was building in the neighbourhood to fill the holes. Last year the driveway sinkhole formed again and I couldn’t get my car out of the carport.”
De Montille said the CoE attended to the problem when it started in 2013.
“For the few past years, we have not added plants to the garden because they just disappear. I fear my house might start getting affected because it now has two cracks.
“The only thing I believe is still holding my house is the concrete slab I did years ago. It is actually holding up the house. But the challenge is that the sinkhole is moving closer to the house,” said de Montille.
He believes that this problem affects at least five houses that he knows of.
“If the CoE does not resolve this matter the end result will be death or serious injuries.
“We have children in the house who can’t even play outside. This house was built based on approved regulations.
“We are outside the servitude line. How long should we wait while our lives are in danger? Urgent action must be taken before it’s too late,” said De Montille.
Action SA’s community safety oversight committee member Michael Basch visited the area and said sinkholes are worsened by water leaks.
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“The soil around pipes is swept away and the top ground collapses because it has nothing to hold,” said Basch.
“We need to look into new technology for solutions. Katlehong is faced with similar problems.”
CoE responded that the city started investigating the causes of sinkholes about four years ago.
“The investigation stipulated that the entire stormwater system must be replaced.
“The former construction methods applied in the erection of the stormwater pipes included using galvanized corrugated metals and with time the metal started to corrode, thus causing the entire system to collapse,” said CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.
“The sinkholes have caused damage to Mr de Montille’s driveway and the entire driveway is starting to collapse. Part of the house has become unstable,” he said.
“The stormwater system in question is always waterlogged and there is a constant flow of water in the pipe. This caused further corrosion and soil is eroded from underneath the pipe.
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“We are monitoring the situation. We commissioned the investigation to determine the causes. If needed, people will be vacated,” said Dlamini.
