The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements (GDHuS) has blamed criminal activities for the staircase structure that partially collapsed at Montrose Mega City Development in Randfontein, west of Johannesburg.
This unfortunate incident occurred on Monday and resulted in the death of one individual.
According to the Montrose website, 8 000 units of social housing, bonded housing and RDP houses were expected to be built. A total of 839 units were expected by the end of the project, but it remains incomplete to date.
Only staircase slabs collapsed, not the building
Terry-Ann Van Eck, spokesperson for GDHuS MEC Tasneem Motara, said only concrete slabs forming part of a staircase gave way, not the entire building.
Van Eck told Sunday World that the matter is currently under investigation by the SAPS.
“The department is aware that slabs that were part of a staircase structure fell off the building. But the building did not collapse,” said Van Eck.
“The incident was reported to SAPS, and an investigation by law enforcement is underway,” said Van Eck. The incident was reported to the department. We were informed that one person lost their life while allegedly conducting illegal activities on the building. They were tampering with the building,” she added.
Project currently stalled
The Montrose Mega City project currently has no active contractor or developer, following the termination of the previous developer’s contract.
There is no formal construction work underway at the site. However, Van Eck acknowledged that there have been previous complaints from the community. The complaints were mostly regarding safety and illegal activities.
“Regarding identified illegal activities, cases were opened with SAPS by the community liaison officer,” said Van Eck.
Security for site being arranged
“The are no activities and or security on site. However, communities and the ward councillor raise issues as they arise. The acquisition of a security service to protect the site is underway,” she added.
In response to the fatality, Van Eck expressed the department’s condolences. She said the ward councillor would visit the bereaved family.
