Note to Editors: Please find the attached soundbite in English, Afrikaans and Setswana by Cllr Portia Burrell.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) urges the City of Matlosana to act urgently following its continued failure to attend to and fix sinkholes in the Stilfontein area which has left immense damage to properties and poses a risk to the safety of residents. See photos here, here, here and here.
One resident has incurred extensive damage after a burst pipe triggered a sinkhole outside her house which caused water to flood her property.
Another sinkhole emerged on the corner of Jan Van Riebeek and Connaught street, these sinkholes pose a risk to motorists driving on the road and the surrounding properties as they can cave in at any time.
The Director of Public Safety: Mr Nkhumane, informed the DA that the delay in fixing the sinkholes is a result of the municipality’s credit ratings and the Finance Department’s slow response to requests.
He assured us that as soon as the Finance Department finalises the process then the Institute of Geoscience could start with assessments of the sinkholes before the offices closed for the December 2020 break. Unfortunately, this deadline has once again passed and the municipality has still not attended to the issue despite several requests from the DA.
The outcome of the Geological investigation would determine the state of the sinkholes and the roadway in the vicinity of the sinkholes in all the affected areas.
The huge sinkhole on the N12 road falls under the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), Matlosana Local Municipality and Dr Kenneth Kaunda District. SANRAL and Matlosana Local Municipality have agreed to execute the repairs jointly.
The total cost is estimated to be at least R35 million, however, Matlosana is unable to contribute its part of the repair costs.
SANRAL has appointed consultants who are currently finalising the designs for the required works. The municipality has indicated that it has applied for disaster relief funding, but has not received approval yet.
The DA calls on City of Matlosana Public Safety as well as Disaster Management to act speedily in mitigating the impact of this disaster and restoring full access to the affected roads. It is unacceptable that residents have to live under hazardous conditions due to poor governance and a lack of disaster management on the part of the municipality.