Roof of goverment building collapses due to potting soil
The building of the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport had to be evacuated when the roof of the second story collapsed.
MBOMBELA – The Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport has attributed the collapse of a portion of the roof of its building in the Government Complex in Riverside, to the displacing of a pot plant. It denies that it had anything to do with a structural defect.
At around 11:35 on Friday Building 7 had to be evacuated after a portion of the roof on the second storey collapsed. One employee was injured in the incident and had to be taken to hospital.
Lowvelder rushed to the scene, but was prevented from taking any photos. Officials said it was a national key point and wouldn’t divulge any information, saying it was “privileged”.
The department issued a media statement late that afternoon.
“A preliminary investigation indicates that a portion of the roof collapsed during routine maintenance whereby a contractor was installing a water-proofing membrane in the built-in pot plant to prevent leakage,” it read.
“The portion of the roof which is situated adjacent to the pot plant in Building 7 collapsed as a result of the soil that was removed from the pot plant and placed on the corrugated iron roof.
“According to the preliminary assessment, the incident was not caused by any structural defects.”
The department has launched a full investigation to determine the cause of the collapse and a full report will be available soon. It has assured its employees that it will ensure that no similar incidents will happen in the future.
The head of department, Mr Kgopana Mohlasedi visited the injured employee in hospital and wished him a speedy recovery.
