A multidisciplinary team has been deployed to the Nazareth Baptist Church in eBuhleni, Inanda, following the collapse of a wall that left eight people injured and raised concerns about construction safety at the site.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba visited the church on Wednesday evening, where he announced that engineers, building inspectors, construction specialists and emergency management officials would assess the site to ensure the project complies with all safety and building regulations.
Xaba said the city would conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident, stressing that developments of this scale must meet all regulatory requirements.
"Clearly a project of this nature needs to happen under strict supervision. There is just no way it cannot meet basic compliance," Xaba said.
He expressed relief that no fatalities were reported and said the municipality would continue to support those injured in the collapse, as well as their families.
Meanwhile, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said construction at the church would remain suspended until investigations have been completed and all regulatory requirements have been satisfied.
Macpherson, who visited the site on Tuesday, said authorities must first determine what led to the collapse before work can resume.
"What we need to do is investigate and understand what has taken place. We need to identify where the gaps were because there were clearly shortcomings if this happened," he said.
He added that the department would work with the church to address any deficiencies and ensure full compliance with building regulations before construction is allowed to continue.
Investigations into the cause of the collapse are ongoing.