Rescue teams at the collapsed construction site in Verulam, KZN. Picture: Reaction Unit South Africa Substandard concrete and reinforced steel, as well as a lack of building plans and oversight, are being blamed for the collapse of the Verulam temple in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson held a briefing on Wednesday, where he presented the preliminary findings of an investigation into last week’s collapse, which killed five people.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is also seeking the company that supplied the concrete to determine where else it was used. Macpherson said that the supplier had not yet been identified, but that the site of the collapse had been declared a crime scene. He said that the findings were preliminary and that a full forensic and criminal investigation would be undertaken.
Multiple departments in KZN and other provinces conducted the site evaluation to form an early picture of what occurred at the Redcliffe temple. Macpherson explained that the structure was a reinforced concrete, multi-storey building with columns, flat slabs, and masonry walls that was under construction. The collapse occurred while concrete was being poured, with reports indicating that work was underway on the upper levels of the building at the time of the incident.
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The minister said the evidence, including video footage, showed a sudden structural failure, “most likely triggered” by the pouring of wet concrete. “It has also been observed that substandard concrete material and substandard reinforced columns were used,” confirmed Macpherson. The minister added that visual assessments showed “misaligned structural elements” and relayed expert opinion on the decision to pour wet concrete on the upper layers of an incomplete multi-storey building.
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