Jay Singh was standing just metres away from the concrete slab of the Tongaat Mall when it caved in, his pastor said.
|||Durban -
Controversial businessman Jay Singh was standing just metres away from the concrete slab of the Tongaat Mall when it caved in on Tuesday afternoon.
He was doing a weekly site inspection at the R300 million shopping centre.
According to Singh’s pastor and close friend, Mervin Reddy, Singh saw some construction workers fall three floors to the ground while others tried to scramble to safety.
He was one of the first people to call for the police and ambulance. Singh and his foreman rushed to the ground floor and tried to help the injured, Reddy said.
Reddy said Singh was in shock at what had happened but was determined to get to the bottom of what caused the concrete slab to cave in.
“The slab that collapsed cost more than R80 million to build. Jay had hired the best in the business – engineers, architects and building contractors – to work on this mall.
“He is baffled by what has happened. Three independent companies have been hired to investigate the cause of the collapse. A preliminary report should be made available soon.”
Reddy said Singh pledged to remain transparent throughout the investigation and make the report public as soon as it was finalised.
“Jay, his wife, Shireen, and their four children – including his eldest son, Ravi – are traumatised. In fact, their daughter is in matric and this had really taken a toll on her.”
Reddy said Singh could not believe his eyes when he saw the slab caving in.
“He had parked on the roof and was walking towards the slab when it gave in. He told me that he was frozen for several seconds. He could not move. But he eventually mobilised his staff and got help.”
Singh’s first concern was the safety of the workers, Reddy said.
“He could hear people screaming. There was chaos all around him. But he remained at the scene for over an hour. He did not shy away. He even spoke to the media at the scene.”
He said Singh was devastated that a life had been lost.
“It’s one death too many. It should never have happened... That’s what he told me,” Reddy said.
He said Singh was committed to co-operating with the Department of Labour, the city and police.
“He has nothing to hide. He did nothing wrong. Why should he hide?”
Reddy said Singh had sent a delegation to visit the injured workers in hospital.
“He also wants to assist the family of the dead woman with the funeral costs. He is a generous man and will do whatever needs to be done to help.”
Reddy said while the city was calling to condemn the building, Singh was committed to seeing the project through.
“This is one of his biggest projects on the North Coast. He does not want to abandon it. He wants to give the people of Tongaat what he promised them – a vibrant mall with trendy stores.”
Reddy said Singh would fight to clear his name and complete the mall project.
“He outlayed cash for this project. He will not allow it to go down the drain. Why would he do that, if there were risk involved or if he took short cuts? There is a reason for what happened. It’s just a matter of time before we find out what happened.”
He denied Singh would use political connections to try to clear his name.
“Yes, he does know influential people. But it’s silly to suggest he will use them to get out of this. How can anyone cover up what has happened?”
On Wednesday police spokeswoman Mandy Govender said that “a case of culpable homicide has been opened by police” over the incident, but added that investigations are still ongoing and she could not say who would be charged.
Daily News