Sinkholes ruin buildings, cars: Gauteng counts the costs of the storm

As the rain continues to cause havoc in Gauteng on Friday, the appearance of numerous sinkholes in the Centurion area has added more cause for concern.

One businessowner was advised to shut shop as a huge sinkhole threatened to swallow his building, and a motorist had a narrow escape when his car teetered on the rim of a hole that opened up on the road.

Asiem Alli, owner of Catering Shop Online, an industrial equipment supplier in Centurion, was greeted by a crack in the ground leading to the entrance of his store on Thursday.

“On Thursday this was just a crack and as the rains continued to pour the opening in the ground got wider and wider. Today there is this huge sinkhole. We’ve been warned by the fire department to vacate the premises and shut the business down until the damage has been repaired,” explained Alli.

The sinkhole, which collapsed part of the foundation of the building, was nearly two and a half metres deep. The exposed foundation and plumbing left the building looking rather precarious.

The businessman, who employs 30 people, said he could not comply with the department’s advice because the company was his livelihood and his employees depended on their wages.

One of the employees, who asked to remain anonymous, said that he would rather work in fear of the building collapsing than be unemployed.

Alli believed that the sinkholes could have been caused by the dolomite mine Afrimat, which is located less than a kilometre away.

“The Tshwane City Council should not be awarding mining licences so close to residential and business areas.”

A few kilometres away, on the R55 leading to Valhalla, a motorist’s life hung in the balance when a sinkhole suddenly opened up in front of him. His vehicle plunged into the open ditch at an 80-degree angle.

A roadside assistance manager, Mike Penny, who was tasked with the duty of dislodging the vehicle, explained that the car had been there since 7am and would take a while to be moved because the downpour hadn’t stopped. The unstable ground around it was complicating their efforts.

“This particular stretch of road lies in a very disputed piece of land. The Tshwane City Council claims that the land does not belong to it, while the South African defence force – which owns the surrounding land – also claims that the road does not belong to it, hence making the maintenance of this road a nightmare,” said Penny.

The driver of the vehicle was helped by other road users before the sinkhole expanded. The driver had already left the scene unharmed when City Press got to there.

The heavy rains also caused flash floods in low-lying areas around Gauteng, with the South African weather service and emergency services reporting evacuations of informal settlers from places such as Soshanguve, Garankuwa and Mamelodi.

The weather service has predicted more rain over the weekend. It was expected to clear by Monday.

	Juniour Khumalo Journalist City Press p: +27 (0) 11 713 9001 w: www.citypress.co.za  e: juniour.khumalo@citypress.co.za
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