The provincial government said it was busy with legal proceedings against the building's owners at the time of the collapse.
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.
Triggered by pouring concrete
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.
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.
“[This] poses a significant, abnormal and dynamic load on the floors below, loads that no building is structurally designed to withstand, resulting in a rapid and progressive collapse.”
Owners ignored court orders
The minister stressed that there had been serious contraventions of regulations and standards and that all efforts would be made to bring closure to the families who lost loved ones.
“We can never ever normalise a collapse of buildings in South Africa. It is abnormal, and we must respond with the urgency that this disaster requires,” stated Macpherson.
As a result, the site had been declared a crime scene, and criminal proceedings will be pursued where applicable.
Macpherson explained that the building was being constructed illegally, as no approved building plans existed, nor were there relevant construction permits.
City manager for the eThekwini municipality, Musa Mbhele, explained that the city was embroiled in legal proceedings with the site’s owners, who had ignored several court orders to cease construction.
“We need to see how we can amend our own laws and by-laws to ensure we are given powers to impound equipment,” said Mbhele
He added that delinquent building owners who did not comply with the by-laws were being charged punitive rates equal to 25 times their standard charge.
Government to take the lead
Macpherson requested interprovincial police assistance and the Western Cape team, which handled the George building collapse.
“The purpose of this request is not to replace local investigative capacities, but to strengthen it, by drawing on experience gained in similar tragedies, particularly in navigating the technical and regulatory complexities that arise,” stated the minister.
He thanked the first responders and emergency teams for assisting at the site, but stressed the onus was now on government to lead the way.
“As national government, we have a responsibility to ensure that the regulation of the built environment places public safety first, and that the lessons drawn from this tragedy lead to meaningful improvements in how we prevent, detect, and respond to unlawful or unsafe construction,” Macpherson concluded.
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