A four-person inquiry established by the government to dig into what transpired during the Tongaat Mall disaster last year will begin speaking to witnesses next month.

The commission was established to investigate events leading to the collapse of the Tongaat Mall on November 19 last year. The disaster killed two construction workers and injured 29 others.

The department’s occupational health and safety manager, Phumudzo Maphaha said they were expecting to to call between 20 to 50 witnesses to appear before the commission.

Maphaha, who is also the inquiry’s presiding officer, said they have visited and assessed the site, all interested stakeholders represented by their legal representatives and workers were also engaged since the disaster.

“There are a number of issues that the commission would be pursuing with the contractors during the hearing,” said Maphaha.

The section 32 hearing is usually appointed by the department against parties whose negligence results in occupational injuries and death of workers.

The hearing will be held at municipal offices in Tongaat with interviewing commencing on Friday, January 31. It is expected that the commission will conclude its work in six months.

“ In a month we expect the commission to sit for at least two weeks. The hearings will be held from Tuesdays to Fridays, but the pace of our work will depend on the availability of stakeholders” said Maphaha.

The department expects to spend about R2 million on the commission.

Once the commission has concluded its work, it will formulate recommendations and present its report to labour minister Mildred Oliphant, the labour department’s chief inspector Thobile Lamati and the directorate of public prosecutions for their consideration

All affected stakeholders must source accreditation to the proceedings of the inquiry from the provincial labour department. For more information phone Nhlanhla Khumalo on nhlanhlax.khumalo@labour.gov.za, 031-366 2018 or 074589 9682.