ActionSA is deeply alarmed by the worsening sinkhole crisis in Ward 8, Khutsong, and calls on the Gauteng Provincial Government to act with urgency before this disaster claims lives.
During our ActionSA Gauteng Listening Tour on 1 March 2025, ActionSA Provincial Chairperson, Funzi Ngobeni MPL, engaged with the community at Ward 8, Khutsong. As part of this engagement, residents led us to yet another massive sinkhole in Section B, a chilling reminder of the neglect and incompetence that has left the people of Khutsong living in fear.
Despite repeated warnings and documented evidence of rapidly expanding sinkholes, the provincial government has failed to implement comprehensive interventions to safeguard lives and infrastructure. Premier Panyaza Lesufi has acknowledged the crisis in his previous State of the Province Addresses, yet there has been no meaningful action to provide permanent solutions.
We cannot and will not wait for another tragedy to unfold before the government takes action. The growing number of sinkholes in Merafong, particularly in Khutsong, poses an imminent danger to homes, schools, roads, and essential services. The risk of entire sections of the community collapsing into the ground is no longer hypothetical, it is a real and present danger.
ActionSA Calls the Following Immediate Steps:
– Declaration of Khutsong as a Disaster Area – to unlock emergency relief funding and accelerate interventions.
– Immediate Evacuation and Relocation Plans for families living in high-risk zones.
– Comprehensive Geotechnical Assessments to prevent further catastrophic collapses.
– A Transparent Provincial Sinkhole Rehabilitation Plan with clear timelines, budgets, and oversight mechanisms.
– Accountability for the Misuse of Public Funds, including the reported R5 million wasted on unfinished sinkhole rehabilitation projects in the municipality.
ActionSA stands with the people of Khutsong and will escalate this matter to both the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and national government if the necessary action is not taken. We refuse to wait for innocent lives to be lost before action is taken.
ActionSA Calls For Urgent Action on Sinkholes in Merafong Before Lives Are Lost
ActionSA is deeply alarmed by the worsening sinkhole crisis in Ward 8, Khutsong, and calls on the Gauteng Provincial Government to act with urgency before this disaster claims lives.
During our ActionSA Gauteng Listening Tour on 1 March 2025, ActionSA Provincial Chairperson, Funzi Ngobeni MPL, engaged with the community at Ward 8, Khutsong. As part of this engagement, residents led us to yet another massive sinkhole in Section B, a chilling reminder of the neglect and incompetence that has left the people of Khutsong living in fear.
Despite repeated warnings and documented evidence of rapidly expanding sinkholes, the provincial government has failed to implement comprehensive interventions to safeguard lives and infrastructure. Premier Panyaza Lesufi has acknowledged the crisis in his previous State of the Province Addresses, yet there has been no meaningful action to provide permanent solutions.
We cannot and will not wait for another tragedy to unfold before the government takes action. The growing number of sinkholes in Merafong, particularly in Khutsong, poses an imminent danger to homes, schools, roads, and essential services. The risk of entire sections of the community collapsing into the ground is no longer hypothetical, it is a real and present danger.
ActionSA Calls the Following Immediate Steps:
– Declaration of Khutsong as a Disaster Area – to unlock emergency relief funding and accelerate interventions.
– Immediate Evacuation and Relocation Plans for families living in high-risk zones.
– Comprehensive Geotechnical Assessments to prevent further catastrophic collapses.
– A Transparent Provincial Sinkhole Rehabilitation Plan with clear timelines, budgets, and oversight mechanisms.
– Accountability for the Misuse of Public Funds, including the reported R5 million wasted on unfinished sinkhole rehabilitation projects in the municipality.
ActionSA stands with the people of Khutsong and will escalate this matter to both the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and national government if the necessary action is not taken. We refuse to wait for innocent lives to be lost before action is taken.