2009-12-17: Staircase collapse at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
Staircase collapse at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
A preliminary investigation report into the incident of a steel staircase collapse during a morning service at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God on Sunday 13 December has been submitted to the City.
The engineer provided the City with a preliminary report which indicates that the collapse of the staircase was a result of anchors not being installed according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
A more detailed investigation is proceeding, which will address the question of fault and liability.
Given the interest shown on this accident by the media, the City of Johannesburg wants to put forward the following facts about the building
plan processes undertaken for this building:
Building Plans were approved in March 2009 for the renovation of the building which the Church now occupies.
The Church then appointed a professional team to oversee the building work.
The structural engineer who was part of the team provided the City with a Certification of Compliance to the National Building Regulations.
Based on this, and on a final inspection conducted in September, the City issued an Occupation Certificate dated 14 October 2009.
Immediately after the incident, three officials from the Building Control Division in the City attended a meeting on site. They issued an instruction
to the Church to vacate and secure the premises, and to appoint a professional engineer on an urgent basis to determine the cause of the
accident and to identify remedial measures to address the safety of the building.
It should be emphasized that the building can only be re-occupied once the Church has undertaken the necessary remedial work to the satisfaction of the City and has complied with all other requirements that the City may have, such as a further Compliance Certificate from the engineer that elates specifically to the safety of the staircase.
It is tragic that an incident of this nature happened at the beginning of the festive season, and the City wishes all those injured in the incident a
full and speedy recovery.
Nthatisi Modingoane
Deputy Director: Communications
City of Johannesburg
Tel: 011 407 7354
Fax: 403 3494
Cell: 082 467 9228
E-mail: nthatisem@joburg.org.za
