The City of Tshwane says it will appoint a contractor to repair the sinkhole on the corner of Jean Avenue and Gerhard Street in Centurion this month.

While the site will be handed over to the contractor this month the repair work, which was initially scheduled for November, will start in January 2018 as most companies will be closed during the December period.

The municipality says it delayed the appointment of a contractor in order to manage its supply chain process. “We were tightening up our supply chain processes to ensure that we appoint a skilled and competent contractor and that the process is above board,” the municipality explains.

“After the site handover to the contractor in December, the ward councillor, together with the appointed contractor, will oversee the administrative issues of the appointment of labour, which will be sourced from the local community for the duration of the project,” the municipality notes.

The R25 million project is expected to last approximately nine months to complete should everything go according to plan.  The municipality says regular updates will be provided to the public, particularly those affected by the sinkhole.

“The City wishes to apologise once again for the inconvenience caused by the sinkhole,” the municipality concludes.