The ground caved in as a result of a leaking municipal water pipe on the sidewalk on 27 June 2018. Since then, the driveways of two houses have had to be rerouted. The area beyond their fences is scarred with gaping holes that the municipality failed to fill after repairing a broken pipeline.
When the Herald visited the site on Monday, nothing had been done to address the problem. There were more cracks in the tar of the adjacent street.
Erica Street is not the only road in this area that has been threatened by stability problems. Bluebell Street has also been damaged in the recent past.
On Tuesday, the Herald asked the municipality what it planned to do about the situation. According to the municipal spokesperson, Merafong is still waiting for funding to rehabilitate the sinkhole. “As soon as funding is available, the work will go ahead.”
