Search and rescue teams have recovered the body of a fifth victim following the collapse of a partially built temple in Verulam, north of Durban.
Emergency crews returned to the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection in Redcliffe on Sunday morning after operations were suspended the previous day due to adverse weather conditions. The four-storey structure, which was still under construction, collapsed on Friday.
Four bodies were recovered on Saturday before the search was halted for safety reasons.
IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Samantha Meyrick, who is part of the rescue operation, says the work remains highly dangerous as the structure is still unstable. She confirmed that once the recovered body is handed over to police, search efforts for possible additional victims will resume.
“This is very delicate work. The structure remains unstable, and teams are working under extremely challenging conditions. K-9 units will be deployed to help identify any potential victims still trapped beneath the rubble,” Meyrick said.
Meanwhile, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has raised serious concerns about coordination failures within the construction industry. He says gaps between municipalities and building regulatory authorities are creating dangerous loopholes.
Macpherson says government plans to fast-track legislative reforms to centralise building compliance and regulation. “We need to end the fragmentation that exists because it is within that fragmentation that gaps arise and are exploited,” he said.
The eThekwini Municipality has confirmed that preliminary investigations indicate no approved building plans were in place for the structure that collapsed. Investigations into the cause of the collapse are ongoing.