Mall collapse: engineer had given assurance

THE DESIGN engineer of the collapsed Tongaat Mall never raised any concerns during its construction, the commission of inquiry investigating the collapse heard yesterday.

“I was under the impression that everything was in order,” Durban businessman Jay Singh said.

Singh owns Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, the company that was building the mall when a large section collapsed on November 19, 2013, killing two people and injuring 29.

Singh denied that engineer André Ballack had asked him for test results to determine the strength of the concrete being used.

The inquiry has previously heard that concrete at several locations did not meet the required strength and that several steel bars were missing.

Singh said he had trusted his foreman, Ronnie Pillay, who had been in charge of the site, and there had been 380 phone calls between Pillay and Ballack. Singh said he had raised some concerns with Ballack regarding the building, but Ballack had reassured him that all was in order.

He said he had even parked his van and had a braai with contractors on the section of the mall that collapsed.

“I wouldn’t park my van there if I knew I had done something wrong.”

On one occasion he had even parked there with his young son.

“We were doing everything to the engineer’s design,” said Singh.

The inquiry continues. – Sapa