The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) in the Tshwane Metro will table an urgent motion to the Metro Council next Thursday (29 May) to declare Region 4 in Centurion a local disaster area.
The main aim is to compel the local authorities to replace outdated asbestos water pipe infrastructure and repair sinkholes.
The motion follows an incident two weeks ago when the lives of many people were endangered by the formation of a large sinkhole at the intersection of Langerbrink Street and Burger Avenue, Lyttelton.
The area’s water and power supply were immediately cut seeing as damaged water pipes meant the sinkhole was filling up with water.
Leaking underground water pipes erode dolomitic soil, leading to the formation of sinkholes.
Lyttelton is one of the oldest parts of Centurion still using asbestos water pipes. The outdated and dilapidated water infrastructure was neglected for years as virtually no maintenance was performed.
Currently, 63 sinkholes have been identified in Region 4, which includes large parts of Centurion – Irene in the east, Olievenhoutbosch in the south, and the Rhens Nature Reserve in the west.
The extent and spread of sinkholes warrant immediate intervention, making it critical to declare the area a local disaster zone to expedite funding and resources from the Gauteng province, and even the National Treasury, to replace infrastructure and rehabilitate sinkholes.
The purpose of the motion is to meet the requirement that each sphere of government has to declare a specific area a disaster zone before receiving allocations from the National Disaster Fund.
The party also asked for a feasibility study to be conducted to determine the cost of repairing the sinkholes once the dilapidated infrastructure has been replaced.
The Freedom Front Plus will do everything in its power to convince the Metro to urgently address the matter to prevent further sinkholes and ensure the safety of residents.
