Big Hole draining life from CBD

TAXI operators and business owners have fiercely opposed the proposed sale of Bultfontein Road to De Beers for R12,000, calling the deal a “slap in the face” for Kimberley.

- SANDI KWON HOO

Once the sale is finalised, more sections of the road will be permanently closed to the public, including parts of the historic tramway route.

While the exodus of most businesses near the Big Hole has left the area resembling a ghost town, the few remaining operations along Bultfontein Road face an increasingly difficult predicament.

“No one has informed us that the road will be closed. We cannot sell our properties because the area is crime-ridden. Where are we supposed to move to?” business owners asked.

“People urinate in the streets and sewage is flowing down the roads. We have to be escorted home by security when we close our shops due to fears of being robbed. We have limited our trading hours because the street lights never get fixed.

“Areas around the Big Hole have become dumping sites.”

The perimeter of the Big Hole was fenced off in 2024 due to safety concerns stemming from ground movement and soil erosion.

Despite the precautionary closure of the road, barricaded sections of the road are still being used by taxis, whose operators say they have nowhere else to pick up and drop off passengers.

Taxi drivers expressed frustration and unhappiness over the situation.

“Sol Plaatje is selling our livelihoods for R12,000. We have been struggling to make ends meet since the Covid-19 pandemic. De Beers must compensate us, as promised, and allow us to continue making use of Bultfontein Road,” they said.

A local taxi operator claimed they were promised a once-off payment and that each taxi association would receive two vehicles — but none of these promises materialised.

EFF councillor Pontsho Mocwana said it was an insult to consider selling the road “for a pittance”.

“De Beers stripped the city of its mineral wealth and generated billions of rand in profits before abandoning the city,” Mocwana pointed out.