Residents urged to relocate due to sinkhole
A sinkhole in Makause has threatened the wellbeing of residents and their homes.
Residents from Makause have been living in a state of fear since Monday, when they woke up to a deep hole right in front of their front doors near the Khumbul’ekhaya entrance, just off Stanley Road.
“On Monday we noticed this hole, and it has been growing wider and it looks deep.
“We’ve had restless nights and days.
“My neighbour has a hole in her house, and we all fear that we’ll sink into the ground as this hole gets bigger,” said Thakasile Mathe, one of the affected residents.
“The previous leadership allowed for people to build houses in this area knowing that previous occupants of this land were relocated to an area in Tsakane, because the whole of Makause is part of a mining belt,” said Jomo Ngwenya, the chairperson for Makause Settlement.
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Ward councillor Frans Ngomane assured residents that he would find a place of safety for them and they would not spend the night in the area as it has been deemed unsafe.
“I will ensure that I find an alternative location for the affected people by the end of the day today, because I feel it is unsafe for them to still be in such a hazardous area,” said Ngomane last Friday.
The structures of the homes around the hole have shifted, and the affected residents would gladly relocate, but the only question is, where will they go?
“We have been asked to relocate, but where will we go?
“We are pleading with the municipality to help us but we just need to know where we will be moving to,” said Mathe.
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When the GCN spoke to William Ntladi, the district manager media liaison for Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) early on Friday morning, he said, “Six shacks situated near the hole were mildly affected by the shift and residents of those shacks refused to be relocated to a place of safety yesterday.
“However, we have organised a team from the department who will speak to the residents and explain the importance of the move to them.”
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