Durban - 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. - Sapa