Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Jacob Mamabolo, has suggested that implementing technologies to detect potential leakages that could lead to sinkholes might be a more effective solution to address the sinkhole issues currently affecting the City of Tshwane and Merafong City.

Mamabolo encouraged both municipalities to collaborate on addressing the sinkhole issue affecting various areas in both metros. 

“When we visited the sites, we made sure the City of Tshwane was present, and the City of Merafong, and we immediately said ‘work together to package documentation’,” Mamabolo said.

He said the documentation will support their representation to the national government, enabling them to secure funding for sinkhole rehabilitation.

“When they don’t work together, there could be gaps and there could be non-compliance.” 

He said his department and both municipalities recently conducted site visits in Tshwane and Merafong to gather first-hand information on the nature of the problem and its impact on communities.

“We then commissioned our internal teams from the provincial Cogta disaster management, Merafong, and the City of Tshwane to work together to package a document that will address the representation that will be made to the national government so that we get money to rehabilitate the sinkholes,” he said.

He expressed anticipation for an upcoming announcement regarding the documentation, saying that once it has been finalised and presented, resources from the national disaster fund will be deployed accordingly. 

He added that alongside this effort, they plan to host a roundtable discussion on sinkholes by the end of July, bringing together academics, researchers, the Council of Geoscience, Tshwane, Merafong, and community stakeholders to explore long-term sustainable solutions. 

While the documentation focuses on short-term rehabilitation, he said, the roundtable aims to gather expert insights and best practices for tackling the sinkhole challenge in the long run.

He talked about the need to explore global advancements in smart technologies that can detect conditions leading to sinkholes. 

He said although sinkholes appear suddenly, the underlying process is gradual, suggesting that early detection is possible with the right technology.

“One of the best examples is where there is a water leakage in a dolomitic area, which then creates, over time, conditions for failure of the ground rock formation or the ground surface situation. We need to understand that there are no best practices in the world that can tell if there is a problem and act on it quicker,” he said.

Tshwane has allocated R14.7 million to tackle the sinkhole crisis, but this amount falls far short of the estimated R180 million needed to repair over 60 sinkholes. 

Mamabolo’s call for collaboration and innovative solutions comes as the city struggles to address the sinkhole issue, which has affected areas like Centurion, Valhalla, Lyttelton Manor, and Irene.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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