TWO sinkholes in La Lucia have caused concern for residents and uMhalanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer. One of the massive sinkholes, situated on the corner of Oakleigh Avenue and William Campbell Drive, has caused part of the road to collapse. The second one, which is close to five metres deep is situated near the La Lucia Mall.
De Boer said the road around the hole, which is cordoned off, is sagging and has become dangerous to travel on. He feared another heavy shower could cause further erosion.
“The sinkhole at Oakleigh Avenue has existed since the heavy rains battered the city. My major concern is that the sinkhole will get bigger especially with all the traffic in and around the precinct. The City said they will undertake a CCTV survey using an endoscope type camera to accurately determine the cause of structural failure and identify a repair solution to the network at this location. There is definitely a problem in this vicinity because there have been five or six sinkholes that have developed in the last few years.
“I’m concerned for the residents and that fact that once again we have sewage leaking into the stormwater drains, which in turn is washing out on to our beaches. The pothole outside the mall is affecting traffic, especially for residents wanting to turn into the underground parking. The sinkholes are quite deep and it is difficult at this stage to estimate how long the repair will take because the problem appears to be much more serious than originally thought,” he said.
