Gauteng officials urge national disaster declaration for Centurion’s sinkhole crisis

The Gauteng Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) department is collaborating with the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure and Development (GDID) and the City of Tshwane to address the growing sinkhole crisis in Centurion by seeking national assistance to rehabilitate affected areas.

Cogta MEC Jacob Mamabolo announced on X after visiting a newly formed sinkhole in Lyttelton Manor, Centurion, that the three parties are in the process of compiling a detailed report on the Centurion sinkhole situation. 

He said the objective for putting together a comprehensive report was to secure resources from the national government to rehabilitate the affected areas.

He explained that the work of the technical and professional teams from GDID is crucial in assessing the full extent of sinkhole damage in the area.

“Over the past few years, 63 sinkholes have formed in this area alone, posing serious risks to infrastructure, safety, and development. Accurate assessments are the first step toward meaningful intervention,” he said.

Tshwane MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Kholofelo Morodi, who was with Mamabolo, confirmed 63 sinkholes in the area. 

However, she noted it was challenging to provide a timeline for addressing the issue due to various factors.

“At this stage, we have tried to ensure that the communities are aware. We tried to make their lives a little bit comfortable by making sure we cordon off the sinkhole (in Lyttelton Manor) and making the arrangements for them to have access to water and electricity,” she said.

She reiterated that the city has made a call for the sinkhole issue to be declared a national disaster, which would unlock financial assistance from the national government.

“When we had 55 sinkholes, we estimated that we needed about R250 million. So, that cost has gone up now because we are on sinkhole number 63,” she said.

She also said the area is an old town with deteriorated infrastructure, and that water leaks are significantly exacerbating the problem.

“I think in the past, Tshwane was not investing in infrastructure. We were spending 2% of the budget, and that is against the Treasury recommendation. So, there is a need for us to invest in the infrastructure,” she said.

Earlier this year, Morodi reported that the municipality faced a budget shortfall of over R180 million, despite allocating R14.7 million to address the sinkhole crisis in Centurion.

Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo previously said the city had formally asked the National Disaster Management Centre to declare the sinkhole issue in Tshwane a national disaster.

The national Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs spokesperson, Legadima Leso, has not responded to questions about whether the National Disaster Management Centre will declare the Tshwane sinkhole issue a national disaster.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za