The_Unbeliever
Honorary Master
Maar moenie worrie! Geld wat stom is, maak reg wat krom is!
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Tongaat Mall Building Collapse and Inquiry
- Thread starter w1z4rd
- Start date
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
SITE INSPECTION AT COLLAPSED TONGAAT MALL
The commission of inquiry into the deadly collapse of the partly-built Tongaat mall adjourned for a site inspection on Wednesday.
Commission president Phumudzo Maphaha of the labour department, his two co-presidents, engineers involved in the mall's construction, and lawyers met at the site 15 minutes after leaving the Tongaat municipal offices where the hearing is taking place.
They donned hard hats for the hour-long inspection.
Two people were killed and 29 injured when a section of the mall, which was under construction, collapsed on November 19 last year.
Forensic investigator Lennie Samuel said before the commission began its work at the municipal offices on Wednesday that there are been requests from the engineer for the contractor Gralio, and from the engineer responsible for the design, to go to the site to point something out.
There were three possible causes for the collapse of the mall, Samuel said and the commission "want to get closer in terms of our findings".
Maphaha said the crux of the matter was whether a beam or two columns had collapsed first.
Advocate Saleem Khan, representing Gralio and the owners, Rectangle Property Investments, said further investigation at the site would reduce the issues and curtail the time the commission needed.
Source : Sapa /str/mp/th/jje
Date : 09 Jul 2014 10:48
The commission of inquiry into the deadly collapse of the partly-built Tongaat mall adjourned for a site inspection on Wednesday.
Commission president Phumudzo Maphaha of the labour department, his two co-presidents, engineers involved in the mall's construction, and lawyers met at the site 15 minutes after leaving the Tongaat municipal offices where the hearing is taking place.
They donned hard hats for the hour-long inspection.
Two people were killed and 29 injured when a section of the mall, which was under construction, collapsed on November 19 last year.
Forensic investigator Lennie Samuel said before the commission began its work at the municipal offices on Wednesday that there are been requests from the engineer for the contractor Gralio, and from the engineer responsible for the design, to go to the site to point something out.
There were three possible causes for the collapse of the mall, Samuel said and the commission "want to get closer in terms of our findings".
Maphaha said the crux of the matter was whether a beam or two columns had collapsed first.
Advocate Saleem Khan, representing Gralio and the owners, Rectangle Property Investments, said further investigation at the site would reduce the issues and curtail the time the commission needed.
Source : Sapa /str/mp/th/jje
Date : 09 Jul 2014 10:48
Expert identifies 'weakest link' in Tongaat mall
Durban - There were three points of weakness close to each other in the partly built Tongaat mall which collapsed last November, with one of the beams being the “weakest link”, an independent engineering expert testified on Thursday.
Ed Weakley, who was called in after the tragedy by the insurers, also told the commission of inquiry into last November's collapse - when two workers were killed and 29 others were injured - that the foundations of one of the columns that supported the beam in question was inadequate as there was only one pile.
One was not sufficient to carry the required load and, in his opinion, there should have been three piles, he said.
The department of labour-run commission of inquiry is to prepare a report on its findings and formulate recommendations to the labour minister and the director of public prosecutions for their consideration.
Presiding officer Phumudzo Maphaha, the department’s occupational health and safety manager, who visited the construction site on Wednesday, said on Thursday that the aim was also to ensure that such incidents never happened again.
Weakley, who visited the site of the tragedy several times, said that the various engineers involved in the inquiry had reached agreement that the “triggers” for the collapse involved beam number seven and columns 243 and 319.
The beam had not been cast in a single pouring, he said. It had a join and, in his opinion, it could break at this point of weakness.
There were also seven reinforcing rods in the beam instead of the required 19, although only six were cast in concrete.
Column 243, a critical column required to support of lot of work, was close to its load-carrying capacity, he said.
In his opinion, the “column 243 could have failed along with beam seven”, he said, adding there were other general construction defects. Some of the columns were not being perfectly vertical which would have made them weak and meant their capacity to support was reduced.
Asked by advocate Saleem Khan, for Gralio Precast, the contractor, what he would have done if he knew that column 243 was close to its load capacity, he said he would have made the column bigger.
Asked again what he would have done in the event of an inadequate foundation in column 319, he said he would have taken measures to compensate and carried out underpinning.
Weakley was also asked by Khan if the engineer Andre Ballack had been negligent and he replied that there was negligence in relation to the design load of column 243, although he stressed he did not interrogate Ballack’s calculations.
Lawyer Richard Hoal, for the engineers, said any suggestion of negligence depended on whether the structure was braced or not. He said in an interview after the hearing that this suggested negligence was not the cause of the collapse of the mall.
The hearing continues on Friday, when an independent engineer called in by the eThekwini Municipality is to be quizzed on his report.
- SAPA
Durban - There were three points of weakness close to each other in the partly built Tongaat mall which collapsed last November, with one of the beams being the “weakest link”, an independent engineering expert testified on Thursday.
Ed Weakley, who was called in after the tragedy by the insurers, also told the commission of inquiry into last November's collapse - when two workers were killed and 29 others were injured - that the foundations of one of the columns that supported the beam in question was inadequate as there was only one pile.
One was not sufficient to carry the required load and, in his opinion, there should have been three piles, he said.
The department of labour-run commission of inquiry is to prepare a report on its findings and formulate recommendations to the labour minister and the director of public prosecutions for their consideration.
Presiding officer Phumudzo Maphaha, the department’s occupational health and safety manager, who visited the construction site on Wednesday, said on Thursday that the aim was also to ensure that such incidents never happened again.
Weakley, who visited the site of the tragedy several times, said that the various engineers involved in the inquiry had reached agreement that the “triggers” for the collapse involved beam number seven and columns 243 and 319.
The beam had not been cast in a single pouring, he said. It had a join and, in his opinion, it could break at this point of weakness.
There were also seven reinforcing rods in the beam instead of the required 19, although only six were cast in concrete.
Column 243, a critical column required to support of lot of work, was close to its load-carrying capacity, he said.
In his opinion, the “column 243 could have failed along with beam seven”, he said, adding there were other general construction defects. Some of the columns were not being perfectly vertical which would have made them weak and meant their capacity to support was reduced.
Asked by advocate Saleem Khan, for Gralio Precast, the contractor, what he would have done if he knew that column 243 was close to its load capacity, he said he would have made the column bigger.
Asked again what he would have done in the event of an inadequate foundation in column 319, he said he would have taken measures to compensate and carried out underpinning.
Weakley was also asked by Khan if the engineer Andre Ballack had been negligent and he replied that there was negligence in relation to the design load of column 243, although he stressed he did not interrogate Ballack’s calculations.
Lawyer Richard Hoal, for the engineers, said any suggestion of negligence depended on whether the structure was braced or not. He said in an interview after the hearing that this suggested negligence was not the cause of the collapse of the mall.
The hearing continues on Friday, when an independent engineer called in by the eThekwini Municipality is to be quizzed on his report.
- SAPA
Tongaat photos contains ‘interesting clues’
An aerial photograph of the partly collapsed Tongaat Mall, north of Durban, contained some “interesting clues” about why it had collapsed.
Now the search is on to find the photographer.
Phumudzo Maphaha, the presiding officer of the labour department-convened commission of inquiry, said on Friday it would be “very good” to know who took the photograph.
The collapse claimed the lives of two workers, Zakithi Nxumalo and Zwelibanzi Masuku, and injured 29 others.
The photograph shows the extent of two collapsed portions of the partly built mall and was produced in a report by independent structural engineer Gons Poonan, who was called in by the eThekwini municipality in the wake of the tragedy.
Poonan said he was unable to say who had taken the photograph as it had just landed on his desk and no one else at the commission was able to throw light on who exactly had taken the picture.
Sitting with two co-presiding officers on the third and final day of the current session of the inquiry, Maphaha said the hearing “will change how we do business in future for the better.
“All the stakeholders are learning… and this is part of our contribution in preventing a recurrence of this incident in the country.”
The focus this week has been on three areas of concern and the possible triggers for the collapse, identified by various engineers as beam number seven and columns 243 and 219.
Earlier this week, independent engineer Ed Weakley said the beam had not been cast in a single pouring and since there was a joint, it could break at this point of weakness.
Column 243, a critical column, was close to its load-carrying capacity and column 319 had a single pile in the foundations when, in his view, there should have been three piles.
Advocate Saleem Khan, for Gralio Precast, the contractor and Rectangle Property Investments, the owners, told Poonan that Weakley had testified that he could not say with certainty where the trigger for the collapse was.
“I agree,” Poonan replied.
Poonan said while he had no criticism of the beam design, it had not been constructed in accordance with the construction drawing.
As for column 243, which he said was in the upper limits of “slender”, it was inadequately designed for its purpose and had not been constructed to the design specifications in terms of its strength.
The under-design of this column resulted in it collapsing.
Asked what he would have done, he said he would have made it bigger.
Column 319, with its single pile, would also have failed, he said.
The inquiry heard there were seven reinforcing rods in the beam instead of the required 19, but only six of them had been cast in concrete.
With six bars, the beam would not stand the construction load and it was going to fail, Poonan said.
Rob Young, the engineer for Gralio Precast, said the only thing that the various engineers were arguing about was whether the part of the site under investigation was braced.
Lawyer Richard Hoal, for the design engineer Andre Ballack, said he would be leading evidence at a later session that the structure was braced, which he said in a later interview would make it more stable, meaning that column 243 was adequate to take the load.
Another expert engineer, Dr Piet Pretorius, was working on the bracing issue and would be the first witness to be called when the hearing resumes on July 21.
-SAPA
An aerial photograph of the partly collapsed Tongaat Mall, north of Durban, contained some “interesting clues” about why it had collapsed.
Now the search is on to find the photographer.
Phumudzo Maphaha, the presiding officer of the labour department-convened commission of inquiry, said on Friday it would be “very good” to know who took the photograph.
The collapse claimed the lives of two workers, Zakithi Nxumalo and Zwelibanzi Masuku, and injured 29 others.
The photograph shows the extent of two collapsed portions of the partly built mall and was produced in a report by independent structural engineer Gons Poonan, who was called in by the eThekwini municipality in the wake of the tragedy.
Poonan said he was unable to say who had taken the photograph as it had just landed on his desk and no one else at the commission was able to throw light on who exactly had taken the picture.
Sitting with two co-presiding officers on the third and final day of the current session of the inquiry, Maphaha said the hearing “will change how we do business in future for the better.
“All the stakeholders are learning… and this is part of our contribution in preventing a recurrence of this incident in the country.”
The focus this week has been on three areas of concern and the possible triggers for the collapse, identified by various engineers as beam number seven and columns 243 and 219.
Earlier this week, independent engineer Ed Weakley said the beam had not been cast in a single pouring and since there was a joint, it could break at this point of weakness.
Column 243, a critical column, was close to its load-carrying capacity and column 319 had a single pile in the foundations when, in his view, there should have been three piles.
Advocate Saleem Khan, for Gralio Precast, the contractor and Rectangle Property Investments, the owners, told Poonan that Weakley had testified that he could not say with certainty where the trigger for the collapse was.
“I agree,” Poonan replied.
Poonan said while he had no criticism of the beam design, it had not been constructed in accordance with the construction drawing.
As for column 243, which he said was in the upper limits of “slender”, it was inadequately designed for its purpose and had not been constructed to the design specifications in terms of its strength.
The under-design of this column resulted in it collapsing.
Asked what he would have done, he said he would have made it bigger.
Column 319, with its single pile, would also have failed, he said.
The inquiry heard there were seven reinforcing rods in the beam instead of the required 19, but only six of them had been cast in concrete.
With six bars, the beam would not stand the construction load and it was going to fail, Poonan said.
Rob Young, the engineer for Gralio Precast, said the only thing that the various engineers were arguing about was whether the part of the site under investigation was braced.
Lawyer Richard Hoal, for the design engineer Andre Ballack, said he would be leading evidence at a later session that the structure was braced, which he said in a later interview would make it more stable, meaning that column 243 was adequate to take the load.
Another expert engineer, Dr Piet Pretorius, was working on the bracing issue and would be the first witness to be called when the hearing resumes on July 21.
-SAPA
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
BEAM FAILED AT MALL: EXPERT ENGINEER
A beam that had insufficient steel reinforcing bars and an unbonded concrete joint probably led to the Tongaat Mall collapsing, an expert engineer testified on Monday.
Dr Piet Pretorius told the department of labour's inquiry into the collapse that he did not believe that two columns, identified as columns 243 and 319, were responsible for a portion of the mall collapsing.
Two people were killed and 29 others were injured in the collapse in November last year.
Pretorius said the beam, identified as "beam seven", had only six steel bars, and the concrete making up the beam was not poured in one session. One portion of the beam had been allowed to dry for two weeks before the rest of the beam was poured, creating a "cold joint".
He said that there had been no bonding of the cold joint. He described it as a "bond failure".
Pretorius, who was asked by design engineer Andre Ballack's firm Axiom Consulting Engineers to have a look at Ballack's design of the mall, said: "With only six bars it fails immediately."
He said that had the beam not failed, column 319 would have failed.
He did not believe it had failed as it was still supported by scaffolding.
Beam seven, he said, failed when the form scaffolding -- the scaffolding holding up the beam and concrete slab -- was removed.
He said that as the scaffolding was removed the beam was required to support a weight of 150 tons -- a weight it could not carry because of the weaknesses of the beam.
The steel that had been used had not failed, but it had been insufficient to handle the stresses caused by the 150 tons. He said this was evidenced by the fact that the steel did not break, but "the steel was pulled straight out of the concrete".
Pretorius said Ballack's firm Axiom had been involved in the construction of numerous shopping malls.
He said that consulting engineers often have to deal with clients who change plans.
"The wish of the client is to do business. Changes [to plans] are the origins of problems," he said, adding that often design changes were made as construction proceeded.
The inquiry continues on Tuesday.
Source : Sapa /js/fg/mjs/ar/jje
Date : 21 Jul 2014 14:11
A beam that had insufficient steel reinforcing bars and an unbonded concrete joint probably led to the Tongaat Mall collapsing, an expert engineer testified on Monday.
Dr Piet Pretorius told the department of labour's inquiry into the collapse that he did not believe that two columns, identified as columns 243 and 319, were responsible for a portion of the mall collapsing.
Two people were killed and 29 others were injured in the collapse in November last year.
Pretorius said the beam, identified as "beam seven", had only six steel bars, and the concrete making up the beam was not poured in one session. One portion of the beam had been allowed to dry for two weeks before the rest of the beam was poured, creating a "cold joint".
He said that there had been no bonding of the cold joint. He described it as a "bond failure".
Pretorius, who was asked by design engineer Andre Ballack's firm Axiom Consulting Engineers to have a look at Ballack's design of the mall, said: "With only six bars it fails immediately."
He said that had the beam not failed, column 319 would have failed.
He did not believe it had failed as it was still supported by scaffolding.
Beam seven, he said, failed when the form scaffolding -- the scaffolding holding up the beam and concrete slab -- was removed.
He said that as the scaffolding was removed the beam was required to support a weight of 150 tons -- a weight it could not carry because of the weaknesses of the beam.
The steel that had been used had not failed, but it had been insufficient to handle the stresses caused by the 150 tons. He said this was evidenced by the fact that the steel did not break, but "the steel was pulled straight out of the concrete".
Pretorius said Ballack's firm Axiom had been involved in the construction of numerous shopping malls.
He said that consulting engineers often have to deal with clients who change plans.
"The wish of the client is to do business. Changes [to plans] are the origins of problems," he said, adding that often design changes were made as construction proceeded.
The inquiry continues on Tuesday.
Source : Sapa /js/fg/mjs/ar/jje
Date : 21 Jul 2014 14:11
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
POOR DESIGN OF COLUMNS LED TO COLLAPSE
The poor design of two columns led to the collapse of the Tongaat Mall, an expert engineer told a commission of inquiry on Tuesday.
Rob Young, who was appointed by the building contractor Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd to investigate the collapse of part of the mall, said two columns, identified as columns 319 and 243, had severe "design deficiencies".
"The collapse is totally caused by the under-designed columns," he told the inquiry investigating the collapse, in Tongaat.
Two people were killed and 29 injured in the collapse on November 19 last year.
On Monday, the commission heard that a beam, identified as beam seven, had been responsible for the collapse. However, Young said that despite several of the reinforcing steel rods missing from the beam, he believed it still had sufficient strength and was not the cause of the collapse.
The two columns should have had double their carrying capacity.
"All these things [columns] were hovering around half their strength," he said.
He said once the collapse started it put pressure on beam seven, which collapsed. This put pressure on a neighbouring concrete slab that swung around. This slab collapsed as the columns under it could not handle the swinging motion.
Young said had the columns under this slab been braced, the collapse would have been limited.
The foundations of the two columns were not designed for the load they were meant to carry.
Young said the structural engineer Andre Ballack, who was responsible for the mall's structural design, should have exercised a greater role in checking that work followed the design.
"He didn't meet his professional obligations," said Young.
The inquiry resumes on Wednesday.
Source : Sapa /js/fg/jk/th
Date : 22 Jul 2014 15:41
The poor design of two columns led to the collapse of the Tongaat Mall, an expert engineer told a commission of inquiry on Tuesday.
Rob Young, who was appointed by the building contractor Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd to investigate the collapse of part of the mall, said two columns, identified as columns 319 and 243, had severe "design deficiencies".
"The collapse is totally caused by the under-designed columns," he told the inquiry investigating the collapse, in Tongaat.
Two people were killed and 29 injured in the collapse on November 19 last year.
On Monday, the commission heard that a beam, identified as beam seven, had been responsible for the collapse. However, Young said that despite several of the reinforcing steel rods missing from the beam, he believed it still had sufficient strength and was not the cause of the collapse.
The two columns should have had double their carrying capacity.
"All these things [columns] were hovering around half their strength," he said.
He said once the collapse started it put pressure on beam seven, which collapsed. This put pressure on a neighbouring concrete slab that swung around. This slab collapsed as the columns under it could not handle the swinging motion.
Young said had the columns under this slab been braced, the collapse would have been limited.
The foundations of the two columns were not designed for the load they were meant to carry.
Young said the structural engineer Andre Ballack, who was responsible for the mall's structural design, should have exercised a greater role in checking that work followed the design.
"He didn't meet his professional obligations," said Young.
The inquiry resumes on Wednesday.
Source : Sapa /js/fg/jk/th
Date : 22 Jul 2014 15:41
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
TONGAAT MALL CONCRETE NOT TESTED
Strength tests were never carried out on the concrete used in the columns supporting the ill-fated Tongaat Mall, a commission of inquiry heard on Wednesday.
Ronnie Pillay, a foreman at Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, told the labour department inquiry investigating the collapse that he was never aware of the results of any of the tests carried out on concrete that was poured at the construction site.
He was unable to answer the department's occupational health and safety manager Phumudzo Maphaha's question as to why no tests had been carried out on the columns.
Maphaha asked Pillay if he was aware that tests carried out at the time of construction on the concrete strength of the slabs and beams were below the required 30 mega-pascals required.
"They didn't bring it to our attention that the concrete was not to the right strength," he said.
At the time of building, concrete strength testing had been carried out by a company called Contests -- but only on the slabs and the beams.
Two people were killed and 29 injured on November 19 last year.
In June this year it emerged that some of the results of tests carried out by Contest failed to even reach a third of the strength required.
Pillay said that had there been a problem with the concrete, he believed that he would have been informed.
He said he could not explain the tests results as he was not responsible for the mixing of the concrete.
Pillay said that he was not aware that the weakest concrete from tests carried out after the accident came from concrete that had been mixed by Gralio.
Source : Sapa /js/fg/gq/lp
Date : 23 Jul 2014 12:24
Strength tests were never carried out on the concrete used in the columns supporting the ill-fated Tongaat Mall, a commission of inquiry heard on Wednesday.
Ronnie Pillay, a foreman at Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, told the labour department inquiry investigating the collapse that he was never aware of the results of any of the tests carried out on concrete that was poured at the construction site.
He was unable to answer the department's occupational health and safety manager Phumudzo Maphaha's question as to why no tests had been carried out on the columns.
Maphaha asked Pillay if he was aware that tests carried out at the time of construction on the concrete strength of the slabs and beams were below the required 30 mega-pascals required.
"They didn't bring it to our attention that the concrete was not to the right strength," he said.
At the time of building, concrete strength testing had been carried out by a company called Contests -- but only on the slabs and the beams.
Two people were killed and 29 injured on November 19 last year.
In June this year it emerged that some of the results of tests carried out by Contest failed to even reach a third of the strength required.
Pillay said that had there been a problem with the concrete, he believed that he would have been informed.
He said he could not explain the tests results as he was not responsible for the mixing of the concrete.
Pillay said that he was not aware that the weakest concrete from tests carried out after the accident came from concrete that had been mixed by Gralio.
Source : Sapa /js/fg/gq/lp
Date : 23 Jul 2014 12:24
Collapsed mall developer passes the buck
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2014/07/25/collapsed-mall-developer-passes-the-buck
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2014/07/25/collapsed-mall-developer-passes-the-buck
Last edited:
Tongaat Mall owner says he would still hire his controversial father
http://www.enca.com/tongaat-mall-owner-says-he-would-still-hire-his-controversial-father
http://www.enca.com/tongaat-mall-owner-says-he-would-still-hire-his-controversial-father
The_Unbeliever
Honorary Master
Is there, perchance, a KFC (or any other take-away with good food) close to the collapsed Mall? 
Is there, perchance, a KFC (or any other take-away with good food) close to the collapsed Mall?
Yes, and a nandos.
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
ONLY ONE REINFORCING BAR UP TO SCRATCH: EXPERT
Only one of seven metal bars reinforcing a concrete beam at the ill-fated Tongaat Mall had the required length and strength, an inquiry heard on Thursday.
Dr Piet Pretorius told the labour department's inquiry into the mall's collapse in Tongaat that the others were too short. In addition, the beam should have had 19 bars, according to the engineer's design.
He said the formwork and scaffolding used to support the structure would not have played a big role in the collapse.
"The beam was not able to take much load in any case," he said.
Two people were killed and 29 injured in the collapse on November 19 last year.
Earlier Cameron Bulter (SUBS: CORRECT), the regional manager of Form-Scaff, the company that supplied the scaffolding and formwork, said usually his company would supply scaffolding and design drawings on how it was to be installed.
He said scaffolding designs were based on engineers' drawings received from Ronnie Pillay, the foreman for Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, the company building the mall.
During previous testimony the inquiry heard that scaffolding and formwork was being removed when the collapse occurred.
However, Bulter said while design drawings for the scaffolding and formwork had been done, no scaffolding design drawings were requested for the section that collapsed.
"It was our material [scaffolding] in use. At no stage were we asked to provide drawings in connection with the collapsed section," he said.
Source : Sapa /js/jk/jje/th
Date : 04 Sep 2014 13:46
Only one of seven metal bars reinforcing a concrete beam at the ill-fated Tongaat Mall had the required length and strength, an inquiry heard on Thursday.
Dr Piet Pretorius told the labour department's inquiry into the mall's collapse in Tongaat that the others were too short. In addition, the beam should have had 19 bars, according to the engineer's design.
He said the formwork and scaffolding used to support the structure would not have played a big role in the collapse.
"The beam was not able to take much load in any case," he said.
Two people were killed and 29 injured in the collapse on November 19 last year.
Earlier Cameron Bulter (SUBS: CORRECT), the regional manager of Form-Scaff, the company that supplied the scaffolding and formwork, said usually his company would supply scaffolding and design drawings on how it was to be installed.
He said scaffolding designs were based on engineers' drawings received from Ronnie Pillay, the foreman for Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, the company building the mall.
During previous testimony the inquiry heard that scaffolding and formwork was being removed when the collapse occurred.
However, Bulter said while design drawings for the scaffolding and formwork had been done, no scaffolding design drawings were requested for the section that collapsed.
"It was our material [scaffolding] in use. At no stage were we asked to provide drawings in connection with the collapsed section," he said.
Source : Sapa /js/jk/jje/th
Date : 04 Sep 2014 13:46
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
TONGAAT MALL ENGINEER TO TESTIFY
The engineer who designed the structure of the Tongaat Mall in KwaZulu-Natal will testify next week before the commission investigating the building's collapse, which left two people dead.
The labour department said on Friday the commission set aside Monday and Tuesday for the testimony of Andre Ballack, an engineer with Axiom Consulting.
"Ballack's testimony before the commission is expected to be preceded on Monday by a presentation on the so-called 'finite model', which he claimed to have used to design the structure of the mall."
The finite model would uncover the information technology system that was used to design the structure of the columns, beams, and entire mall.
The presentation would take place at the engineering company's offices in Gateway, in Umhlanga. Ballack would conclude later in the day with a testimony before the commission.
The commission of inquiry was appointed following the structural collapse of the mall that claimed the lives of two people and injured 29 others.
On Tuesday, the commission would recall engineer Rob Young, who was hired to investigate the site of the mall.
Earlier this month, Piet Pretorius, an engineer tasked by Ballack to investigate the cause of the collapse, testified that the mall did not have an unusual structure.
Advocate Saleem Khan, the legal representative for Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, the contractor building the mall, accused Pretorius of evading questions to protect Ballack.
The commission is expected to have a last session before the end of October.
Source : Sapa /aa/ks/jk/ar
Date : 26 Sep 2014 12:53
The engineer who designed the structure of the Tongaat Mall in KwaZulu-Natal will testify next week before the commission investigating the building's collapse, which left two people dead.
The labour department said on Friday the commission set aside Monday and Tuesday for the testimony of Andre Ballack, an engineer with Axiom Consulting.
"Ballack's testimony before the commission is expected to be preceded on Monday by a presentation on the so-called 'finite model', which he claimed to have used to design the structure of the mall."
The finite model would uncover the information technology system that was used to design the structure of the columns, beams, and entire mall.
The presentation would take place at the engineering company's offices in Gateway, in Umhlanga. Ballack would conclude later in the day with a testimony before the commission.
The commission of inquiry was appointed following the structural collapse of the mall that claimed the lives of two people and injured 29 others.
On Tuesday, the commission would recall engineer Rob Young, who was hired to investigate the site of the mall.
Earlier this month, Piet Pretorius, an engineer tasked by Ballack to investigate the cause of the collapse, testified that the mall did not have an unusual structure.
Advocate Saleem Khan, the legal representative for Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, the contractor building the mall, accused Pretorius of evading questions to protect Ballack.
The commission is expected to have a last session before the end of October.
Source : Sapa /aa/ks/jk/ar
Date : 26 Sep 2014 12:53
Suspense over Tongaat mall column test
Durban - Test results on a column similar to one that collapsed in the Tongaat mall were “mind boggling”, according to the man leading the commission of inquiry into the collapse.
“It was mind boggling. The result that we got is quite interesting. I will wait for the formal report before I make a comment,” labour department occupational health and safety manager Phumudzo Maphaha said at the inquiry in Tongaat on Monday.
He said the results would only be released next week.
This was in spite of a request by Richard Hoal, the lawyer for design engineer Andre Ballack, to release the information. Ballack was appointed by construction company Gralio Precast.
Last week tests were carried out on the column to determine how strong it was, and what load it could carry.
Ever since the collapse on November 19, 2013, which killed two construction workers and injured 29, Gralio's representatives claimed the two columns Ballack designed were responsible for the collapse.
Rob Young, the lead engineer for Durban's King Shaka International Airport, was appointed by Gralio after the collapse. He previously told the commission he believed Ballack had under-designed two columns - identified as columns 319 and 243.
Ballack's legal team disagreed, believing a beam - identified as beam seven - that column 319 supported, was responsible for the collapse.
During previous commission sessions, it emerged that beam seven was designed by Ballack to have 19 steel bars in it when the concrete was poured.
When the commission examined the beam it found only seven bars, only one of which had been correctly laid.
The column tested on Friday, which had prompted the commissioner's comment, had the same design specifications as column 319.
Ballack showed the computer program and graphics used in designing a digital model of the mall.
“In our opinion this model (also) shows that the structure was braced,” Ballack said.
Bracing is a procedure where supports are put up to strengthen and reinforce structures, such as beams, columns and lift shafts, allowing them to withstand vertical and horizontal forces.
During previous sessions of the inquiry, questions have been raised about what had been braced, in particular the mall's lift shaft.
The eThekwini metro municipality tried to stop building work before the mall collapsed. The municipality had also not approved the architect's plans for the mall.
The inquiry will continue on Tuesday with Young being questioned. A representative of the company that carried out the tests on the column that prompted Maphaha's comments will be questioned by the commission on October 22.
Ballack will testify again after that.
As Monday's session concluded, journalists eagerly tried to find out the column test results that had so boggled Maphaha. None of the various representatives were however prepared to go on record and reveal them.
Sapa
Durban - Test results on a column similar to one that collapsed in the Tongaat mall were “mind boggling”, according to the man leading the commission of inquiry into the collapse.
“It was mind boggling. The result that we got is quite interesting. I will wait for the formal report before I make a comment,” labour department occupational health and safety manager Phumudzo Maphaha said at the inquiry in Tongaat on Monday.
He said the results would only be released next week.
This was in spite of a request by Richard Hoal, the lawyer for design engineer Andre Ballack, to release the information. Ballack was appointed by construction company Gralio Precast.
Last week tests were carried out on the column to determine how strong it was, and what load it could carry.
Ever since the collapse on November 19, 2013, which killed two construction workers and injured 29, Gralio's representatives claimed the two columns Ballack designed were responsible for the collapse.
Rob Young, the lead engineer for Durban's King Shaka International Airport, was appointed by Gralio after the collapse. He previously told the commission he believed Ballack had under-designed two columns - identified as columns 319 and 243.
Ballack's legal team disagreed, believing a beam - identified as beam seven - that column 319 supported, was responsible for the collapse.
During previous commission sessions, it emerged that beam seven was designed by Ballack to have 19 steel bars in it when the concrete was poured.
When the commission examined the beam it found only seven bars, only one of which had been correctly laid.
The column tested on Friday, which had prompted the commissioner's comment, had the same design specifications as column 319.
Ballack showed the computer program and graphics used in designing a digital model of the mall.
“In our opinion this model (also) shows that the structure was braced,” Ballack said.
Bracing is a procedure where supports are put up to strengthen and reinforce structures, such as beams, columns and lift shafts, allowing them to withstand vertical and horizontal forces.
During previous sessions of the inquiry, questions have been raised about what had been braced, in particular the mall's lift shaft.
The eThekwini metro municipality tried to stop building work before the mall collapsed. The municipality had also not approved the architect's plans for the mall.
The inquiry will continue on Tuesday with Young being questioned. A representative of the company that carried out the tests on the column that prompted Maphaha's comments will be questioned by the commission on October 22.
Ballack will testify again after that.
As Monday's session concluded, journalists eagerly tried to find out the column test results that had so boggled Maphaha. None of the various representatives were however prepared to go on record and reveal them.
Sapa
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
FUNDING OF TONGAAT MALL QUESTIONED
The inquiry into the Tongaat mall collapse was postponed on Wednesday amid questions over whether the government had partially funded the mall.
Wednesday's session had to be postponed due to a lack of recording equipment, but it was comments made by Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu at an unrelated press conference on Tuesday that piqued interest.
Sisulu said: "The tragedy about that building is that it was partly funded by myself. I am keenly waiting to see what the outcome of that investigation is. Part of the funding did come from human settlements."
Her statement contradicted the testimony of Ravi Jagadasan, who told the department of labour's inquiry, tasked with investigating the collapse, which killed two people and injured 29 others.
On July 24 Jagadasan, who is the sole member of Rectangle Property Investments CC, said that the R250 million project had been privately funded.
It was not clear how much funding the project had received from the department or why it was funding a shopping mall.
Comment could not immediately be obtained on Thursday from either human settlements spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya or representatives Jagadasan. Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, the company tasked with building the mall.
The mall is run by Durban businessman Jay Singh -- Jagadasan's father.
Saleem Khan, the lawyer representing Gralio at the inquiry, said he was not aware of the funding and said he would need to first consult his clients before responding.
The inquiry is set to resume on Thursday with a visit to the site by the commission. It will sit again on Friday to hear further testimony. Design engineer Andre Ballack is expected to testify then.
Sisulu's comments were made in response to a question at a media briefing during the 6th Planning Africa Conference.
Source : Sapa /js/jje/ks
Date : 22 Oct 2014 13:42
The inquiry into the Tongaat mall collapse was postponed on Wednesday amid questions over whether the government had partially funded the mall.
Wednesday's session had to be postponed due to a lack of recording equipment, but it was comments made by Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu at an unrelated press conference on Tuesday that piqued interest.
Sisulu said: "The tragedy about that building is that it was partly funded by myself. I am keenly waiting to see what the outcome of that investigation is. Part of the funding did come from human settlements."
Her statement contradicted the testimony of Ravi Jagadasan, who told the department of labour's inquiry, tasked with investigating the collapse, which killed two people and injured 29 others.
On July 24 Jagadasan, who is the sole member of Rectangle Property Investments CC, said that the R250 million project had been privately funded.
It was not clear how much funding the project had received from the department or why it was funding a shopping mall.
Comment could not immediately be obtained on Thursday from either human settlements spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya or representatives Jagadasan. Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, the company tasked with building the mall.
The mall is run by Durban businessman Jay Singh -- Jagadasan's father.
Saleem Khan, the lawyer representing Gralio at the inquiry, said he was not aware of the funding and said he would need to first consult his clients before responding.
The inquiry is set to resume on Thursday with a visit to the site by the commission. It will sit again on Friday to hear further testimony. Design engineer Andre Ballack is expected to testify then.
Sisulu's comments were made in response to a question at a media briefing during the 6th Planning Africa Conference.
Source : Sapa /js/jje/ks
Date : 22 Oct 2014 13:42
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
MALL BUSINESSMAN WANTS SISULU APOLOGY
Durban businessman Jay Singh wants Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu to apologise for claiming that the ill-fated Tongaat mall was partially financed by her department.
"I can categorically state that the Tongaat mall was never partly funded by the human settlements department as stated by minister Lindiwe Sisulu in an interview with the media recently," Singh's spokesman Mervyn Reddy said in a statement on Thursday.
Sisulu made the funding claim at an unrelated press conference in Durban on Tuesday.
She said: "The tragedy about that building is that it was partly funded by myself. I am keenly waiting to see what the outcome of that investigation is. Part of the funding did come from human settlements."
She did not say how much money the department spent on the mall, or why it was funding a shopping mall.
She was briefing reporters during the 6th Planning Africa Conference.
No comment could be obtained from human settlements spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya.
Singh is chief executive of Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, which was building the mall when a portion of it collapsed on Tuesday November 19, 2013, killing two people and injuring 29.
Singh's son Ravi Jagadasan is the sole member of Rectangle Property Investments CC, the developer of the mall.
When he testified on July 24, at the labour department's inquiry investigating the tragedy, Jagadasan stated the mall was privately funded.
Reddy said: "The minister needs to correct her statement and also clarify that her department in no way funded or partly funded the mall at any time.
"Rectangle Property and the developer Gralio's CEO, businessman and philanthropist Mr Jay Singh, seek an apology from Minister Lindiwe Sisulu for the harm and negative publicity that her incorrect statement caused to Mr Jay Singh."
The inquiry continued on Thursday with a visit to the site by the commission. It will sit again on Friday to hear further testimony from design engineer Andre Ballack.
Source : Sapa /js/ks/jje/th
Date : 23 Oct 2014 12:28
Durban businessman Jay Singh wants Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu to apologise for claiming that the ill-fated Tongaat mall was partially financed by her department.
"I can categorically state that the Tongaat mall was never partly funded by the human settlements department as stated by minister Lindiwe Sisulu in an interview with the media recently," Singh's spokesman Mervyn Reddy said in a statement on Thursday.
Sisulu made the funding claim at an unrelated press conference in Durban on Tuesday.
She said: "The tragedy about that building is that it was partly funded by myself. I am keenly waiting to see what the outcome of that investigation is. Part of the funding did come from human settlements."
She did not say how much money the department spent on the mall, or why it was funding a shopping mall.
She was briefing reporters during the 6th Planning Africa Conference.
No comment could be obtained from human settlements spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya.
Singh is chief executive of Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, which was building the mall when a portion of it collapsed on Tuesday November 19, 2013, killing two people and injuring 29.
Singh's son Ravi Jagadasan is the sole member of Rectangle Property Investments CC, the developer of the mall.
When he testified on July 24, at the labour department's inquiry investigating the tragedy, Jagadasan stated the mall was privately funded.
Reddy said: "The minister needs to correct her statement and also clarify that her department in no way funded or partly funded the mall at any time.
"Rectangle Property and the developer Gralio's CEO, businessman and philanthropist Mr Jay Singh, seek an apology from Minister Lindiwe Sisulu for the harm and negative publicity that her incorrect statement caused to Mr Jay Singh."
The inquiry continued on Thursday with a visit to the site by the commission. It will sit again on Friday to hear further testimony from design engineer Andre Ballack.
Source : Sapa /js/ks/jje/th
Date : 23 Oct 2014 12:28
ToxicBunny
Oi! Leave me out of this...
Oh how rich..
They want an apology from Sisulu for the harm and negative publicity they have caused Mr Jay Singh.. we'll just ignore the fact that this cretin was building a shopping center which collapsed and killed people, that is not important.
They want an apology from Sisulu for the harm and negative publicity they have caused Mr Jay Singh.. we'll just ignore the fact that this cretin was building a shopping center which collapsed and killed people, that is not important.
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
TONGAAT MALL INQUIRY CONTINUES NEXT WEEK
An inquiry into the collapse of the Tongaat mall which claimed the lives of two people will continue next week with testimony from an engineer, the labour department said on Thursday.
"Andre Ballack, the engineer from Axion Consulting Engineers, who was responsible for the structural design of the mall, is to give further testimony on the results of tests done following the collapse of the mall," said department spokesman Masede Mosima in a statement.
Previously tests were carried out on a column of the mall to determine how strong it was and what load it could carry.
Ballack would take the stand from Monday to Wednesday.
The commission of inquiry was appointed after two people died and 29 others were injured when the mall collapsed in November 2013.
The commission has previously visited the site.
In October, Durban businessman Jay Singh dismissed claims by Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu that the mall was partially financed by her department.
Sisulu made the claim at an unrelated press conference in Durban.
"The tragedy about that building is that it was partly funded by myself. I am keenly waiting to see what the outcome of that investigation is. Part of the funding did come from human settlements," she said at the time.
Singh is chief executive of Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, which was building the mall when a portion of it collapsed.
Singh's son Ravi Jagadasan is the sole member of Rectangle Property Investments CC, the developer of the mall.
In July, Jagadasan testified that the mall was privately funded.
Source : Sapa /mar/jk/jje
Date : 13 Nov 2014 09:37
An inquiry into the collapse of the Tongaat mall which claimed the lives of two people will continue next week with testimony from an engineer, the labour department said on Thursday.
"Andre Ballack, the engineer from Axion Consulting Engineers, who was responsible for the structural design of the mall, is to give further testimony on the results of tests done following the collapse of the mall," said department spokesman Masede Mosima in a statement.
Previously tests were carried out on a column of the mall to determine how strong it was and what load it could carry.
Ballack would take the stand from Monday to Wednesday.
The commission of inquiry was appointed after two people died and 29 others were injured when the mall collapsed in November 2013.
The commission has previously visited the site.
In October, Durban businessman Jay Singh dismissed claims by Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu that the mall was partially financed by her department.
Sisulu made the claim at an unrelated press conference in Durban.
"The tragedy about that building is that it was partly funded by myself. I am keenly waiting to see what the outcome of that investigation is. Part of the funding did come from human settlements," she said at the time.
Singh is chief executive of Gralio Precast (Pty) Ltd, which was building the mall when a portion of it collapsed.
Singh's son Ravi Jagadasan is the sole member of Rectangle Property Investments CC, the developer of the mall.
In July, Jagadasan testified that the mall was privately funded.
Source : Sapa /mar/jk/jje
Date : 13 Nov 2014 09:37
Engineer denies negligence over mall plans
Durban - The Tongaat Mall engineer dismissed suggestions that he was “grossly negligent” by allowing deviations from his drawings, the inquiry into the collapse of the mall, in which two people were killed, heard on Thursday.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial spokesman Nhlanhla Khumalo said Dr Andre Ballack argued that he had no reason to doubt the integrity of the contractor, who assured him that the project was proceeding as per specifications until the fatal day.
Ballack testified during his cross-examination that the contractor, Jay Singh, the owner of Gralio Precast, failed on several occasions to furnish him with test cube results to determine the strength of the concrete.
He told the commission that he relied on the contractor's word to authorise the stripping.
Gralio Precast is the developing company behind the construction of the mall.
He said it was not his function solely to look at samples of the building elements, but also the responsibility of the contractor to verify, said Khumalo.
“I took the engineering project and relied on trust. I had no reason not to trust what I was told by the contractor,” Ballack said.
The commission's presiding officer Phumudzo Maphaha told Ballack that engineering did not work on trust but on figures and verification of facts.
Saleem Khan for Singh said that according to instruction, Ballack had never on a single occasion requested cube tests on concrete strength.
Ballack responded that although the requests were never recorded in minutes, these requests were made on site where most of the meetings were held.
“With hindsight a piece of paper requesting such results and acknowledging their receipt will have been better.”
The inquiry will resume on Friday with further cross-examination of Ballack in Tongaat's local municipal offices.
The commission of inquiry was appointed following the structural collapse of the mall on November 19 last year. It claimed the lives of two people and injured 29 others.
Khumalo said the inquiry was expected to complete its work in the first quarter of 2015.
Sapa
Durban - The Tongaat Mall engineer dismissed suggestions that he was “grossly negligent” by allowing deviations from his drawings, the inquiry into the collapse of the mall, in which two people were killed, heard on Thursday.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial spokesman Nhlanhla Khumalo said Dr Andre Ballack argued that he had no reason to doubt the integrity of the contractor, who assured him that the project was proceeding as per specifications until the fatal day.
Ballack testified during his cross-examination that the contractor, Jay Singh, the owner of Gralio Precast, failed on several occasions to furnish him with test cube results to determine the strength of the concrete.
He told the commission that he relied on the contractor's word to authorise the stripping.
Gralio Precast is the developing company behind the construction of the mall.
He said it was not his function solely to look at samples of the building elements, but also the responsibility of the contractor to verify, said Khumalo.
“I took the engineering project and relied on trust. I had no reason not to trust what I was told by the contractor,” Ballack said.
The commission's presiding officer Phumudzo Maphaha told Ballack that engineering did not work on trust but on figures and verification of facts.
Saleem Khan for Singh said that according to instruction, Ballack had never on a single occasion requested cube tests on concrete strength.
Ballack responded that although the requests were never recorded in minutes, these requests were made on site where most of the meetings were held.
“With hindsight a piece of paper requesting such results and acknowledging their receipt will have been better.”
The inquiry will resume on Friday with further cross-examination of Ballack in Tongaat's local municipal offices.
The commission of inquiry was appointed following the structural collapse of the mall on November 19 last year. It claimed the lives of two people and injured 29 others.
Khumalo said the inquiry was expected to complete its work in the first quarter of 2015.
Sapa