The City of Johannesburg’s Roads Department found sinkholes up to 22 metres deep, are actually linked to illegal mining.
The City said these are at Regions C in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, as well as Region F (the inner city close to Hillbrow).
Kenny Kunene, MMC for Transport in the City, alongside Zweli Nyathi, CEO of the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), conducted an oversight visit to assess the growing damage caused by illegal mining in affected areas.
Kunene said the sinkholes are “underground mining voids causing dangerous road collapses and structural damage across Johannesburg, disrupting key transport and economic routes.“
He also said Geotechnical and Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) scans confirmed the depth of the holes.
Owners of Kings Butchery, located at Albertina Sisulu Road, spoke about how illegal miners are able to reach shop floors, using underground tunnels to steal stock.
Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD) and law enforcement successfully dismantled and confiscated specialized tools, ropes, and heavy transport used by illegal miners (zama zamas) to access underground networks.
Picture: Supplied