Khutsong township embodies much of what has gone wrong on the fringes of old mining towns that have been in decline for decades, leaving behind sinkholes, poor services and crime.
In recent years, houses in Khutsong, west of Johannesburg, have been swallowed up by sinkholes that have developed as a result of mining activity in the nearby Carletonville area under the Merafong municipality.
In Thozama section of Khutsong township, residents who continue to live next to a dangerous sinkhole thought they had been sparred by the collapse of the surface layer last year but now they have to contend with a new threat – criminals hiding in the holes to rob them.
Sinkholes occur in areas underlain by dolomite rock. This, according to the Council for Geoscience, poses a risk to the safety of people and the structures in which they work and live.
One such sinkhole next to the entrance of Hlangabeza Primary School that residents say developed in 2019 is not just a risk to children and people walking past the estimated 12m-wide and 8m-deep cave but also a hideout for criminals.
0 of 4
From the outside, overgrown weeds cover the surface of the sinkhole.
“We are crying a lot in this place because there has been an increase in the number of muggings due to the sinkhole. Recently, there was a girl who was mugged there. They took her phone and they ran to the sinkhole to hide. Criminals use the sinkhole to hide because it is large. They then pounce on people when they are coming back from work,“ said resident Girlie Mnanza.
“Our biggest fear is for the children. People from other areas have started throwing garbage into the sinkhole. We fear that children may see something interesting in the hole and jump in.”
She added that the municipality had fenced the sinkhole but some people stole the fence, leaving it open.
In Maselwane section of the township, residents who are faced with same problem spoke of their fears for the safety of their children.
A pile of rocks has also been placed on the road by locals to prevent motorists from driving too close to the sinkhole.
Abel Selemela, one of the residents, said he feared for the children who are always playing in the streets.
“Children are always playing in the streets. You may never know what they will do when they play. They may fall into the sinkhole. The street lights are also not working. People pass this place as you can see, even in the dark. They may fall into the hole,” Selemela said.
Selemela said the sinkhole never gets full of water during heavy rains. Instead, its walls collapse and it widens in size.
The municipality put a fence around this sinkhole but it was also stolen.
Businesses have also taken a hit due to intermittent power supply in the area.
Last week residents blocked off roads protesting over power outages which had lasted three days at Khutsong Extension 5.
Not far from where technicians tried to restore power, local entrepreneurs were counting the costs of the power outage.
Silvester Mulungo, who runs a hair salon, said power interruption means that he has to stop working.
“Over the past three days I have not been working as there is no electricity. This is a huge setback for me because at the end of the month the landlord will still demand her rent. Electricity is really a big problem here. It can go for even a week and things become difficult for me financially. I have three children that I brought back home from Macia [in Mozambique],” Mulungo said.
On a good day he makes up to R400.
“For me to survive, the salon has to be always open. That is why I work on Saturdays and Sundays to ensure that there is money coming in every day. I cannot afford to have a single day not working because my profits are low,” Mulungo said.
Mahao Ntori, who led the protests, said it was the second time that the residents were without electricity for more than a day in just two weeks.
“We have seen that every time we protest the municipality takes us serious and fixes things. If we simply call the municipality nothing ever happens. They just drop the phone on us. We chose to protest and here they are,” Ntori said, pointing at technicians trying to restore the power.
Tony Nyambiri, a motor mechanic who runs a panel beating business in Extension 5, had to stop operations due to the power cuts.
“ Electricity problems are common here,” he said. “They cause serious fights with our customers.
“We agree with the customer on which day they are going to come and fetch their car and then the electricity goes. Customers get angry when they come and we are not finished with the work. If the customer experiences this, he or she never comes back. People do not like stories when they come to fetch their cars,” Nyambiri said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.