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The South African
11 hours ago
- General
- The South African
Boksburg sinkhole 'honoured' on 3-year anniversary of causing traffic mayhem
In a bizarre yet pointed protest, a 20-metre-deep sinkhole on Rondebult Road in Boksburg was 'honoured' with a birthday celebration to mark three years of causing traffic mayhem. The event, hosted by Ekurhuleni councillor Simon Lapping and ward councillor Marius de Vos, featured a custom-made chocolate cake delivered by a singing 'fairy' to symbolise the public's growing frustration over the lack of repairs. The sinkhole, which formed in 2022, has severely impacted local traffic, disrupting over 40 000 vehicles daily and costing commuters and businesses an estimated R1 billion annually in detours and delays. 'It's ridiculous that we're standing here three years later with no solution,' said Councillor Lapping. 'If this were a suburb in a different area, it would've been fixed a long time ago.' Alti Fouche, owner of Silla Specialty Cakes, delivered the unusual order, complete with a giant gouge on top to resemble the crater. 'We usually send singing fairies to parties and celebrations,' she joked. 'This is the first time we've delivered a cake to a sinkhole. It's very exciting – happy birthday, sinkhole!' Both councillors blamed budget constraints within the City of Ekurhuleni for the prolonged delay. Despite multiple complaints and the immense economic toll, no firm timeline has been given for when repairs might begin. The event, though lighthearted on the surface, underscored growing community anger over basic service delivery failures. 'We're tired of excuses,' said De Vos. 'This cake is funny, yes – but the situation is not.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Watch: Birthday cake for 20m sinkhole in Gauteng
The chocolate cake was decorated to resemble Rondebult Road with a gigantic gouge in the cake, resembling a sinkhole. Alti Fouche, from Silla Speciality Cakes, and DA Councillor Simon Lapping pose for a photograph with a cake as they celebrate the approaching third birthday of the Rondebult Road sinkhole in Boksburg. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen After almost three years of promises, delays and a new budget-related reason, the sinkhole that flanks and caused the closure of Boksburg's Rondebult Road arterial remain unfixed. Ekurhuleni councillor Simon Lapping and local ward councillor Marius de Vos hosted a birthday ceremony for the 20-metre deep sinkhole recently. A 'fairy' delivered a birthday cake, which Lapping plans to share with Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza. The chocolate cake was decorated to resemble Rondebult Road with a gigantic gouge in the cake, resembling a sinkhole. Alti Fouche of Silla Specialty Cakes made the delivery. 'We usually deliver cakes with singing fairygrams, but to parties and people who are celebrating special occasions. Today is the first time that we're delivering a cake to a sinkhole. It's very exciting, happy birthday sinkhole!' It was a gentle protest. The Rondebult Road sinkhole in Boksburg, 12 June 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen Road closure De Vos said the road closure continues to obstruct traffic between three major national highways. 'The N12, N17 and R21 connect industry, the local economy, to the rest of the province and the country,' he said. 'Rondebult Road, in turn, connects all three of these highways.' For more than two-and-a-half years, traffic has been detoured, said Lapping. ALSO READ: Centurion's sinkhole problem digs deeper hole in city's pockets Businesses affected It comes at a cost to businesses and taxpayers. 'We have more than 40 000 vehicles a day travelling through here,' he said. 'This is a cost of potentially over R1 billion a year just in transport costs alone.' Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said while the municipality wants to repair the sinkhole, it cannot. A fix comes with a price tag of R150 million, and there are no funds available. NOW READ: WATCH: In lockdown with no water or electricity … thanks to a sinkhole
