Pateka Maka, a resident of Lyttelton Manor in the City of Tshwane, is living in constant fear that her house might collapse or sink into the ground because of a sinkhole that appeared at the entrance of her yard in December last year.
Compounding her anxiety is that the sinkhole is expanding with each rainfall and she is uncertain about the rate and direction of the sinkhole’s growth.
She fears the sinkhole may be spreading beneath her property and potentially damaging her house's foundation.
“Every time it rains, the sinkhole sinks and if it is raining at night, I can’t sleep,” she said.
The sinkhole has also taken a toll on Maka’s livelihood, as two of her tenants, fearing the ground might swallow them up, opted to vacate their rented apartments.
To make matters worse, she was told by the city that there is currently no budget to repair the sinkhole, which is one of the three on Clifton Avenue.
In a harrowing incident in 2019, a gigantic sinkhole ravaged two homes located on the same street, prompting their owners to evacuate immediately. The area remains closed to traffic for safety reasons.
Maka said: “The city just said they don’t have money and only cordoned off the area to prevent drivers from passing by.”
Elize Smith, who commutes by bus from East Lane to her job in Valhalla, expressed frustration with the prolonged closure of part of Snake Valley Road due to a sinkhole, which appeared in 2022.
She said: "I am forced to get off the bus far away from my workplace and walk a long distance. The walking time varies, sometimes up to 30 minutes, which is challenging. With winter approaching, it will soon be darker and more dangerous.”
She pleaded with authorities to repair the sinkhole and reopen the road, saying it would greatly improve her daily commute.
Businessman, Sayed Karim, said the road closure on Kruger Avenue in Lyttleton Manor has severely impacted his business for almost three years.
“We once thrived, but since the closure, our sales have plummeted,” he said.
He was forced to lay off two long-time employees, reducing staff from four to two.
“The municipality's response has been vague, offering no clear timeline for repairs," he said.
Marcelle De Villas, whose business is located on Alexandra Street in Irene, said a sinkhole has compromised the structural integrity of the wall surrounding his yard.
"The collapse of the wall has left us vulnerable, as the electric fence that once ran along the perimeter is no longer effective. Fortunately, only one individual has managed to breach the property through the sinkhole thus far," he said.
The city attributed the exacerbation of the sinkholes to water leaks and defective sewer systems, particularly in areas underlain by dolomitic rock, which is prone to dissolution when it comes into contact with water.
A report from the city’s Geological and Geotechnical Engineering Management, dated February 14, 2025, highlights that dolomite rock formations are prevalent in Regions 4, 3, and 6, spanning approximately 463 square kilometers, which is 7.3% of the metro's area.
As of the report's compilation, a total of 59 municipal sinkhole incidents were documented, with a significant concentration of 56 incidents occurring in Region 4, encompassing areas such as Centurion, Irene, and Valhalla.
The report identifies the top 10 priority sinkholes for repair, explaining that the priority listing is determined by several key factors such as safety risks to individuals and exposure to potential hazards and extent of damage to infrastructure, services, properties, and assets.
Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo recently said: "The repair of sinkholes is dependent on the availability of budget and sinkholes do occur continuously on a year-on-year basis.”
He also said the city had formally asked the National Disaster Management Centre to declare the sinkholes issue in Tshwane a national disaster.
This week, Mashigo said the city has not yet received responses from the responsible departments approached for assistance.
Legadima Leso, the spokesperson for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, has yet to respond to inquiries about whether the National Disaster Management Centre is considering declaring the Tshwane sinkhole issue a national disaster.
Kholofelo Morodi, MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, said during a recent site visit to assess the five largest sinkholes in Centurion that the municipality has a budget shortfall of over R180 million after having put aside R14.7m budget to tackle the sinkhole crisis.
"We understand the residents' frustrations and that’s why we want to work together with the national government to come on board and help us reduce this for the sake of our residents, especially given our financial position," said Morodi last month.