Pretoria - The sinkhole problem in Centurion is not only threatening the lives of residents and motorists, but also businesses and jobs as road closures stagnate and diminish sales.
This has become apparent as business people and residents complain about the impact of road closures and restrictions on businesses that rely on the movement of people and vehicle traffic to trade profitably.
While residents raised safety concerns about the sinkhole-prone Centurion due to the underground dolomitic rock that dissolves due to water leaks and heavy rains, of concern was the negative impact on businesses in the area.
Hasa Raju of Kruger Supermarket and Kitchen on Kruger Avenue, said the sinkhole in their area has affected the many businesses that operate there because as it worsened from April to late last year, the entire road was closed.
Pointing Pretoria News to numerous vehicles making a U-turn just before the businesses, he said he has been running at a loss since late last year and did not now how he will manage to pay his employees.
“I run a small supermarket here and we used to make a profit because this was a busy place. People would buy something as they came to the other businesses here. Locals used to come here for bread and other things they needed.
“Now I am stressed because the monthly cost for my two store assistants and the rent is R25 000, but we are no longer making that money. I am basically running at a loss, but I am trying everything to keep the business open.
“The festive season was the hardest time for us because we basically had no human traffic in the area, on top of the fact that cars cannot drive on our road. The other businesses here are also affected,” he said.
The businesses in the area continue to push forward and operate although they wish the City of Tshwane would do its job and repair the sinkholes as soon as possible. The sinkhole started from a water leak and as it was left barricaded on the side for some time, it became worse and expanded, forcing the City to block the entire road to prevent accidents.
Businesses in the area include HJ Bosch and Sons, LP Gas, Honeyfields, C.S.O Catering Shop Online, 1011 The Dent and Spot Repair Specialists. These businesses have had to put up signage on the road to show that they are still in operation.
On Clifton Street, where a sinkhole blocked the entire entrance to a family home and forced them to relocate, it seems to have also affected neighbours at 3rd Alternative Security Solutions.
Concerned residents Jaco Swanepoel and Annique Moore said Centurion is becoming very dangerous because the sinkholes are developing one after another.
Moore said: “I believe the City also needs to be honest and admit that some of these sinkholes are caused by ground and underground water leaks from old pipes that are poorly maintained.
“Another concern is that they did not allocate enough budget to address these sinkholes as soon as possible, which allowed some sinkholes to grow further over the years as they were left barricaded while leaking water and rain got into them for a long duration of time. We get that the type of rock here dissolves, but they must also admit that the R28 million budget is not enough to fix this problem.”
There are around 50 sinkholes on the City of Tshwane’s database currently.
The Gauteng Department of Transport and Logistics also has a few sinkholes on provincial roads, including one on Weirda Road that threaten to affect the N14 in Centurion. Meanwhile, the South African National Road Agency is also repairing a sinkhole in the area on the N1.
City acting chief of staff, Jordan Griffith, said there were plans to increase the budget in the next financial year because fixing sinkholes was an expansive and complicated process, especially because the City did not want to fix the same sinkhole more than once.
Pretoria News