A bricklayer trapped in the rubble of the collapsed Tongaat Mall last night was lucky to escape with his life after being dragged out by co-workers.
49 year-old Ntobeko Mzingithi, a single father of three children, suffered head injuries and was treated at the Tongaat clinic after his colleagues had pulled him out of the debris.
Mzingithi was among 28 people who were injured when the mall collapsed yesterday evening. One person, a pregnant woman in her twenties, was killed. The rescue effort went on through the night under flood lights as emergency services searched for people trapped in the rubble.
Mzingithi was busy working when the slab underneath him gave way.
“I thought I was going to die and leave my young children alone with no means to survive since I am the only breadwinner at home,” he said.
Mzingithi is not sure whether the collapse could have been prevented but he alleged that working conditions on the site were unsafe as most of the workers did not have hard hats.
The Courier was told that one of the missing persons believed to be buried in the rubble has been identified as Zweli Masuku, a bricklayer from Phoenix.
The rescue effort is continuing today and heavy machinery has started removing large pieces of rubble.
