Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development MEC, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza addressed the media at Delta Park School on 2 September regarding an accident that had caused injury to four people the day before.
Scaffolding collapsed onto two 16-year-old boys at the school and an adult worker, and a 15-year-old girl suffered from an epileptic seizure due to shock at witnessing the incident. Paramedics were on scene and the boy pupils were transported to hospital. They are being treated at Netcare Olivedale Hospital and Life Flora Clinic. The worker sustained minor injuries and the girl pupil returned to school on 2 September.
One of the injured boys was sent to the Intensive Care Unit at Flora Clinic due to chest injuries. The other was observed for a concussion and required a knee operation on 2 September.
The school had marked off areas where the children were allowed to go during the construction. The children had been standing on the correct side of the fence, however, the scaffolding was tall enough to collapse onto them.
Mayathula-Khoza stated, “I am deeply saddened by this incident because this school is teaching children with special needs and a place of learning is the last place you would like to place children [in] harms way. I am happy that the Department of Labour is also conducting the incident investigation and their report will also form part of this investigation.”
The accident occurred in the midst of controversy, as Ward 82 councillor Susan Stewart stated, “The Department [of Infrastructure Development] issued the contractors with a letter of termination on 6 July.” This termination was allegedly due to criminal activity from the sub-contractors on site. Despite the notice, Stewart said, “The contractors continued working at their own risk.”
Mayathula-Khoza said that she was not aware of the events prior to the accident at the time of the media release. The managing director of the contracting company, HBC, Joseph Tshawe, attended the briefing.
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