Minister of Housing and Urban Development Appolo Maphalala says Bhunu Mall is structurally sound for human occupation and use.
This was shared by the minister yesterday when responding to a question for oral answer asked by Kubuta MP Masiphula Mamba, who wanted him to appraise the House on the current state of Bhunu Mall following the incident that occurred there, and to state whether the building is safe for all stakeholders.
On August 18, Tiyandza Masilela lost her life while working at the Bhunu Mall after a concrete slab collapsed on her.
Mamba asked if a technical inspection was conducted by experts after the incident and if there was a report confirming that the building is still habitable. He further asked the minister to table a report containing what really happened at the mall and the events that led to the death and injury of workers.
Maphalala first stated that the building was affected by a fire outbreak about two years ago. He said after the incident, a structural assessment was done and tenants were granted a go-ahead to continue operating inside the building. He said the assessment was conducted by engineers and officers from the Fire and Emergency Rescue Services, who gave clearance for continued occupation.
“The usage of the building was in order and there is nothing to the contrary to that report. Bhunu Mall is structurally sound for human occupation and use,” the minister said.
Maphalala added that they were still waiting for a more technical report on what led to the incident that claimed a life at Bhunu Mall.
Phondo MP Bonginkhosi Dube asked if the ministry was aware that while renovations were ongoing, there were people and operations continuing at Identity Clothing. He said he once visited the place, and his assessment was that it was dangerous for people to be working while renovations were ongoing.
Mamba followed up on his question and asked when a complete report could be tabled in the House.
He also asked where the minister was getting the confidence that the building was safe while assessments were still being done by different consultants.
“Where is the minister basing his response that the building is safe for use, since Manzini is a town and it appears that municipal authorities are not consulted? We were told that the building has challenges and how many people need to die there for us to see that the structure is not safe for use?” he asked.
In response, the minister said there was something called partial occupation when it comes to multi-level structures, which is allowed in law.
He said people can use the building while works continue, but noted that there are stringent conditions on how the works proceed.
“This is what will be revealed in the technical report on how the process was undertaken. We have had consultations with the lawyers of the family of the deceased as the ministry and we referred them where we had to refer them. What is important is the issuance of the technical report which the lawyers will also rely on because it will be independent,” he said.
