With the Centurion area being prone to sinkholes, many property owners living in
the Laudium/Erasmia area, continue to stress, fearing that their homes could at any time cave-in due to a sinkhole.
Many insurance underwriters have, for some time now, stopped offering automatic ‘subsidence’ cover in the area, which has added further stress to property owners. This follows another sinkhole suspected to be looming in the area. This time a homeowner, Anand Dooki, of 19th Avenue, in Laudium is traumatised, as he suspects that a growing hole in front of his house, is in fact a huge sinkhole in the making. Anand is concerned that a major disaster is about to happen, that could result in him or his family being harmed and his house swallowed by a sinkhole. Anand told the Laudium Sun, “I feel very scared and afraid because there are cracks starting to form right in front of my house. I can clearly see the ground sinking and it feels like my house is slowly going down because of the ground about to open up due to a looming sinkhole. The situation is getting worse every day and I live with constant fear that something serious can happen at any time. I do not feel safe in my own home anymore because of this danger. I called the Council to come and inspect my property because I could see that the ground was not stable. Council officials came and checked both inside and outside my house. After they completed their inspection, they told me that a big sinkhole is forming in front of my house. This inspection took place a few months ago, around eight months back, but since then no one from the Council has returned to check the progress or to fix the problem. The Council officials promised me that they would dig up the whole area and rehabilitate the ground and even pour concrete into open pockets formed in the ground. I trusted that they would come back and resolve the issue, but since that promise, I have not received any update or seen any action taken. The cracks still continue and there are pockets of ground collapsing, as the ground keeps weakening, which makes the situation even more dangerous for me and my family. We live in fear every single day because I know how dangerous a sinkhole can be. If the ground suddenly collapses, it can cause serious damage to my house and put my family’s lives at risk. I cannot relax or feel secure because this problem is right in front of my house and it keeps getting worse. I urge the Council to take immediate action and fix this problem before it turns into a major disaster. I also call on Councillor Naeem Patel to step in and assist with this matter urgently. I need help as soon as possible because I do not want to wait until something terrible happens. This situation is very serious and I ask for quick intervention to protect my home and my family.”
Council to take immediate action before
it turns into a major disaster.
Jameal Hassim, also of 19th Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “I stay right next to the property where there is a sinkhole developing and I view the whole area as extremely dangerous for me, my family and my neighbour. I have noticed the ground moving daily and the soil shifting in a way that makes the surface unstable and unsafe to walk or drive across. I have also noticed fresh cracks stretching across the pavement and into the edge of the street and small pieces of ground breaking away and falling into a widening hole. The ground around Anand’s house keeps losing strength and I feel unsafe every time I step outside my gate. I stay close enough to see how the ground in front of his house reacts after rainfall and how water gathers and disappears into the weak point of the ground. I have noticed that the soil softens and sinks further after every wet spell. I have also noticed the street surface lose its normal shape. Vehicles passing through the street shake and tilt slightly as they move over the uneven street and I sense that continued movement will damage the entire stretch of road. I have also noticed dust and small stones sliding towards the centre of the affected area, which shows how the ground pulls everything inward. My family and I are living in fear as we also face serious risk, should the sinkhole spread. We are afraid to even walk outside for fear of the ground suddenly collapsing. It is obvious that something terrible is looming below the surface with the ground about to cave in at any time. I notice motorists driving past avoiding the edge of the street to prevent their tyres from slipping into patches formed on the edges of the street. I feel that any sudden collapse will affect not only one house but the entire row of properties nearby.”
Mohammed Suliman also of 19th Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “I am very concerned
for Anand, as his house is directly in front of the most affected section, where there are cracks and a hole forming. I see their home sitting close to the unstable ground and I feel that any sudden collapse will place their home under serious threat. The movement of the ground and cracks have reached right to their boundary wall and I see how little distance separates safety from risk. As residents of this street we call for urgent action from the Council, because we see danger looming at any time. We urge for immediate intervention from Cllr Naeem Patel as well, because I believe this situation requires a fast and quick
response before the ground suddenly opens up, which could have dire consequences for all living in the area.”