Minister blames construction company for collapse at Charlotte Maxeke
The Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi and Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, has blamed a construction company who was appointed to do water-proofing for the collapse at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.
Mamabolo says the contractors did not check the structure they were working on and removed concrete parts from the roof without consent.
Five people were injured when a roof at the entrance collapsed on Thursday afternoon.
"The hospital was built some time ago, resulting in outdated construction technology being used. The contractors who are doing water-proofing had to remove concrete stones in order to complete their work. They placed the concrete on the roof structure and due to the weight the roof collapsed," he says.
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Motsoaledi says the contractors took it upon themselves to remove parts of the building and stored it on a slap that was not intended to carry any weight.
"I am not a structural engineer but by just looking at the slab it is evident that it was not intended to carry eny weight - not even human weight," Motsoaledi says.
The minister says the contractors have a case to answer and that they will be held accountable pending investigations.
"The contractors have been removed from the site and we will hold them accountable," he says.