After being ignored for more than a year, two sinkholes near a school in Khutsong have grown so big that they have now started to encroach on the road. The Herald first reported about the two sinkholes, situated about 500 m from Hlangagani Primary School in Khutsong Ext. 3, in the issue of 15 January 2015, just over a year ago. Residents from the area informed the Herald of the sinkholes and expressed concern that they would endanger the lives of the school children, many of whom walk past the holes to get to school. “The sinkhole in question developed during December 2014. The geologists that do the geological evaluation on behalf of the municipality have already closed for the festive season. The studies for their rehabilitation are due to commence in January 2015,” a spokesperson of the Merafong City Local Municipality replied at the time. Despite the Herald having raised questions to the municipality on several occasions last year, nothing was ever done about them. On 19 January this year, a disaster management official of the West Rand District Municipality, Mr David Lesotho, said he was looking at two new sinkholes in the same area. On arrival, however, he found that they were the same sinkholes from last year, which had just never been attended to. They had subsequently grown much bigger, especially as a result of the good rain that has fallen in the area. “It is a disgrace that the municipality has allowed the conditions to worsen like this,” Lesotho told the Herald. When the newspaper’s journalist went to the sinkholes the next day, they had grown so big that one had caused a section of the road to cave in. The other one had also grown and was much deeper than it was on the previous inspection. Several large cracks in the surrounding ground were a sure sign that they are soon going to cave in even further. Several school children walked past the holes on their way from school, not realising the danger that could strike if that should, indeed, happen. Older residents walking past also expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation. “The newspaper has reported on these holes so many times but the municipality has done nothing. we are really worried about the safety of our children,” one woman complained. At the time of the newspaper’s visit the holes had still not been cordoned off. A community leader, Mr Chuck Kerileng, indicated that he and other concerned residents had barricaded the road with stones to make sure that no one drives into them by accident. In the meantime, a stream of sewage was also still flowing close to the holes. According to geologists, such leaks significantly increase the risk of sinkhole
formation. “The sinkhole in question has been inspected but the department cannot rehabilitate it at this stage due to a lack of funding. This sinkhole and others in the municipal area form part of a request for funding which has been submitted to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs for the rehabilitation of sinkholes within Merafong City’s area of jurisdiction,” a municipal spokesperson replied to related questions on Tuesday afternoon.
