Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli and other government officials have vowed to get to the bottom of what caused a construction site at the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection to collapse, killing at least five people. The Witnesshas confirmed the identities of three of the deceased — Vickey Panday, Vasudev Das Prabhu and Jayseelan Perumal. The collapse of the four-storey structure in Redcliffe, Verulam — meant to be an extension of the main temple, which was unaffected — took place last Friday afternoon, trapping multiple people under tonnes of cement, bricks and steel.
According to Reaction Unit South Africa’s Prem Balram, the structure collapsed at about 12 pm during a ready-mix concrete pouring operation. Search-and-rescue teams and other first responders continued their efforts throughout the weekend to retrieve bodies and establish how many people were trapped under the rubble, by speaking to those familiar with the site and using a specialised search-and-rescue K9 unit. The tragedy, which transformed a place of worship into a disaster site, has prompted visits by several high-ranking government officials, who expressed condolences to the families who lost loved ones and pledged to thoroughly investigate the collapse and hold those responsible accountable.
Macpherson said the incident was unnatural, as “buildings should stand tall against the test of time and the elements, not collapse”. He said a full investigation would not start immediately, as search-and-rescue efforts needed to be prioritised. In due time, we will launch a full investigation into what caused this disaster, which will be led by the Council for the Built Environment (CBE).
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“We already have experts, including the council’s chairperson, Holovisa Mtshali, who have visited the site,” Macpherson said. He added that engineers were also on site gathering information about the structure and building materials.
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