The City of Ekurhuleni has allocated R54m to repair sinkholes across the metro, including the long-standing Rondebult roundabout sinkhole that has frustrated motorists for years.
Finance MMC Jongizizwe Dlabathi announced the funding while delivering the city’s 2026/27 budget speech at the OR Tambo government precinct in Germiston on Thursday.
Dlabathi acknowledged that sinkholes remained a major problem in parts of Ekurhuleni and said the city had a growing backlog of repairs.
“A budget of R54m is allocated for repairing sinkholes, while acknowledging that there is a huge backlog that must be addressed expeditiously,” he said.
He said the metro would continue engaging the provincial government through intergovernmental relations structures to push for repairs on provincial roads affected by sinkholes.
“Through intergovernmental relations, we will continue to follow up on the fixing of sinkholes on the provincial roads, especially the Rondebult sinkhole that is significantly inconveniencing motorists,” Dlabathi said.
The sinkhole allocation forms part of the city’s wider repairs and maintenance budget, which has increased from R3.8bn to R4.6bn for the new financial year
The Rondebult roundabout sinkhole has become a major traffic and safety concern for residents and commuters travelling through the area for more than two years.
The sinkhole is on one of the busy routes linking parts of Germiston, Boksburg and Katlehong and has caused frustration for motorists who have had to deal with lane closures and worsening road conditions.
Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the slow pace of repairs and the impact the damaged road has had on traffic flow, especially during peak hours.
The sinkhole allocation forms part of the city’s wider repairs and maintenance budget, which has increased from R3.8bn to R4.6bn for the new financial year. The city said the increased spending is aimed at improving frontline service delivery and restoring aging infrastructure across Ekurhuleni.
Dlabathi said residents had raised concerns about roads, potholes, water infrastructure and electricity supply during 23 public consultation meetings held before the budget was finalised. He said the city wanted to improve service delivery and rebuild public trust after years of governance and financial challenges.
The budget includes plans to strengthen the city’s internal maintenance capacity, including the establishment of its own asphalt batching plant to speed up pothole repairs and reduce reliance on outside contractors.
Dlabathi said residents can expect visible improvements from July 1, including better roads and faster responses to infrastructure problems.
TimesLIVE
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