Church building illegal � Council
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Tuesday October 20, 2015 15:15
The building belonged to Mission to the World of Ministries International Church in Mogoditshane.
KDC Council Secretary, Wazha Tema, revealed to Mmegi in an interview that the building was deferred in 2012 by the Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) for a building and planning permit, as it did not meet the required standards.
He said it seems the owners went ahead to begin construction without following proper procedure.
“They were supposed to go and correct some things before they could be given permission to build. I think they proceeded to build, and now someone has died because of this negligence, then it’s a big problem. People will start asking us questions,” he said.
Tema said he has been away and only learnt about the incident in the newspaper. “That’s when we sent a team that included our Structural Engineer. His report showed the building was deferred in 2012. It is an illegal building. The man died in an illegal building.”
The council secretary said by even looking at the pictures, it is evident the structure of the house is not safe.
He said it is dangerous for people to go near it. He said the report indicates that the building is of poor quality.
He said he has invited the council legal advisor and chief physical planner to look further into the matter and find out who is liable.
“The liability could lie with us but if our report indicates that the building was deferred in 2012 which now means the owners went ahead without permission, then they are liable. I will also look at the police report to get more details,” he added.
When contacted for comment on the council’s claim, Pastor Ike Makiwa declined to comment telling this reporter to write what the council had told him.
“I cannot comment anything for now. Just write what the council is saying,” is all Pastor Makiwa would say.
The building collapsed on two occasions in a space of three days a fortnight ago. In the first instance, a freak storm proved too strong for a portion of the wall. Luckily no one was injured at the time. On the second occasion, the wall fell on two men who were working on the site, killing one and seriously injuring another.