Pretoria - While others were celebrating the long-awaited rains in the City of Tshwane, Centurion residents have been reminded that they were living on "rocky ground" following the appearance of yet another sinkhole in the area.
On Wednesday the City of Tshwane announced that it was forced to close part of Snake Valley Road due to the formation of a sinkhole in the area.
The City advised motorists around the Valhalla area in Centurion to avoid using the Snake Valley Road (M24) between Old Johannesburg (R101) and Fjord road, after it picked up large cracks on the road forming as of last week on October 27.
Although initially only one lane of the road was affected, it later extended across the roadway to affect all four lanes, according to the Tshwane Metro Police Department spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba.
"On October 28 and 29, the affected area was observed to be increasing in size and depth and was classified as a sinkhole. The sinkhole-affected area extends from inside the military property, across the road and up to the verge on the southern side."
"It must be emphasised that the road is unsafe for both motorists and pedestrians. The City urges all members of the public around the Valhalla area to exercise caution in the area and map alternative routes during their daily travels," Mahamba cautioned.
He said the City was currently busy with investigations to determine the extent of the sinkhole in order to prepare for the road rehabilitation.
At the same Tshwane MMC for Roads and Transport Dikeledi Selowa explained that following the recent rains the Centurion area was sitting with a total of roughly seven sinkholes.
Selowa said the sinkhole which started at the military property was left unattended and eventually ended up encroaching on the City's road which forced them to close the road down.
"We are currently looking to approach the military to see how we can work together to fix this problem as we can't fix half a sinkhole, especially considering that the sinkhole started on their side."
Pretoria News