According to information shared by a councillor, Mr Carlos Rebelo, a sinkhole had already started forming on ground that belongs to the Far West Rand Dolomitic Water Associ- ation (FWRDWA) in the area of the Rooipoort rubbish dump in January 2012. Another sinkhole collapsed in June this year and has been growing ever since. The sinkholes are situated next to the municipality’s 9.8 km main sewer line between Blybank and the Oberholzer sewage treatment plant. Satellite photos show that leaking sewage and stormwater had dammed up in the area, even before the sinkholes were formed. The information said the pipeline would be monitored for further damage and the sewer line would be cleaned with a Jet-Vac machine to ensure that it was operating at full capacity. It is not clear whether the municipality has taken any steps to try and solve the problem, as it had refused to answer related questions up to this week. What is certain, though, is that the municipality did not fence off the sinkholes as they had promised. On Tuesday. Sibanye-Stillwater’s senior environmental vice president, Mr Grant Stuart, who is also the new chairperson of the FWRDWA, confirmed that the municipality had asked the mines to help sort out the problem. According to a document on the disaster, the municipality planned to ask the mines to fill up the sinkholes with dump rock.

“We have recently engaged with the Merafong City Local Municipality and have established and clarified that the sinkhole developed as a result of uncontrolled sewage discharge from their sewerage works. They have now approached us because they don’t have the money to clean the lines out to prevent continuous spillage,” says Stuart. FWRDWA is currently engaging with the municipality to see how they can help to resolve the problem. The organisation is also busy erecting a fence between the sinkhole and the Bank road to prevent “inquisitive people” from getting to the sinkhole as the area is extremely dangerous. Not only are there ground stability problems, but zama-zamas are also operating in the area. In photos on social media, some of the illegal miners’ equipment can even be seen in the sinkhole.

“While we do monitor the stability of the land around the sinkhole to prevent further ingress, it is not wise for people to go near the site,” says Stuart. He added that there are currently a lot of municipal sewage leaks, caused by poor maintenance, on specific dolomitic areas that are at high risk of developing sinkholes. “Education is going to be critical for the municipal councillors to understand the dos and don’ts of operating around such areas. Not only must they ensure the safety of their residents, but also of onlookers, because you don’t know what could happen,” Stuart said.