Long wait for M1 bridge collapse answers
No one would be blamed for the deadly Joburg bridge collapse until the cause was determined, the labour department said.
|||Pretoria - An inquiry into the cause of the collapse of a pedestrian bridge over the M1 in Sandton, Johannesburg, was underway and no one would be blamed until the cause was determined, the labour department said on Wednesday.
“In terms of negligence regarding any party, at this stage of the game we are not pointing a finger at anyone,” said department chief inspector Tibor Szana
“The purpose of the inquiry is to gather additional evidence which will be presented to the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) for them to make a decision on the issue.”
Speaking to reporters in Pretoria, Szana said a formal inquiry was being established which would probe the circumstances around the pedestrian bridge collapse that killed two people earlier in October.
“Ours will be a recommendation to the NPA for them to decide what to do. Negligence is what is proved by a court, we don’t make a determination about that for any party,” he said.
“We go into the inquiry totally neutral to gather the evidence that we need to present to a court of law. The (labour department) inquiry can lead to a prosecution … but that is for the prosecution to determine.”
Szana said it will take approximately six months for South Africans to know the exact cause of the collapse.
“The time frame for the formal inquiry – we have already started our preparations around the formal inquiry. We are looking at anything around six months at this stage,” he said.
“You will, however, be mindful of the fact that we are collecting evidence and there are many parties involved in this formal inquiry. While conducting the formal inquiry, we will then determine how much additional time is required.”
Two people died and more than 20 were injured when the support structures around the “Great Walk” bridge near Grayston Drive gave away on October 14.
The labour department said the parties involved in the investigation were the City of Johannesburg and the Johannesburg Development Agency which had appointed Royal Haskoning DHV as an agent. Murray and Roberts is the principal contractor.
Police are also investigating after the matter was reported to the Bramley police station.
Labour department acting director general Aggy Moilola said construction of the pedestrian and cyclist bridge commenced on January 29 this year.
“It has been indicated that Murray and Roberts acquired material for the design of the construction of the temporary bridge from Formscaff. The construction of the bridge was done by Murray and Roberts using designs drawn by Formscaff,” she said.
“At the time of the collapse, the installation of the ‘Kwik-stage design’ was not yet completed, however, traffic was already traversing under the structure.”
In terms of the Occupation Health and Safety Act, the labour department is mandated to probe the circumstances around the bridge collapse.
ANA