'Durban property mogul Jay Singh can go to hell,' says woman whose brother died in Tongaat mall collapse
|Published
The scene of the mall that collapsed in Tongaat on November 19, 2013. File picture: AP Photo/Neil Powell,Crisis Medical The scene of the mall that collapsed in Tongaat on November 19, 2013. File picture: AP Photo/Neil Powell,Crisis Medical
Durban - “Durban property mogul Jay Singh can go to hell.”
This was the emotional response of a woman whose brother died in the collapsed Tongaat Mall in 2013. She was reacting on Sunday to the news of Singh’s death.
The 57-year-old died on Friday morning after being admitted to Capital Hospital on the Berea with breathing difficulties the day before.
Nothemba Maxakane, sister of 51-year-old Zwelibanzi Masuku, said it was traumatic to have to respond to questions about her “brother’s killer”.
Another victim who died when the mall collapsed while under construction was Zakithi Nxumalo, 28.
“We are trying to forget and move on with our lives, so a question about my brother’s killer opens up old wounds. We want to forget about what happened. That man (Singh) left my brother’s children orphaned. They have no mother and I’m left to look after them. That man (Singh) did nothing for this family after the accident and we never got closure,” Maxakane said on Sunday.
She said she was hurt that she could not afford a tombstone for her brother’s grave, and that the man responsible for his death had not been arrested.
“If you kill, you must be arrested. This man continued living his life as if nothing happened. We were left to fend for ourselves. Why was he not arrested? Can you people never call me again, because I’m trying to make peace with the hardship this man has left me in,” she said.
Aside from the two deaths, 29 people were injured in the structural collapse. The Labour Department’s investigations later revealed that shoddy workmanship was to blame for the collapse.
In June 2018, five years after the tragedy, the Daily News reported that Gralio Precast, Singh’s company which was behind the construction of the mall, continued to receive multimillion-rand construction tenders from eThekwini Municipality.
At the time, a report tabled at the City’s executive committee revealed that in May 2018 Gralio was awarded a R17.2 million tender to build 400 top-structure units in the Emalangeni phase 3 housing project in wards six and seven near Hammarsdale.
Tongaat community leader Samuel Ntombela said people in the area were still hurting, as they were not compensated after getting injured on duty.
“Peoples’ dreams were shattered. Lives were lost and the hope of jobs for many diminished. However, a new company continuing with the project has brought back hope and people again are looking forward to better lives during and after the completion of the mall.
“Most of the victims of the collapse were never compensated and promises Singh made to families were never fulfilled. He’s gone to his grave, while people are picking up the pieces of their lives and trying to move on,” Ntombela said.
The IFP said Singh’s death left many questions about housing developments around Durban unanswered.