South Africans Call for Cape Town City Engineer’s Arrest After Balcony Falls, Leaving 21 Injured

• A balcony in Cape Town fell and left 21 people injured when it collapsed on the afternoon of 2 November
• The building on which it was erected was said to be old and a building maintenance manager remarked that it was not designed to withstand the amount of people that were on it
• Netizens said that the City engineer must be arrested for allowing it to collapse

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News's current affairs journalist, offered coverage of current affairs and societal issues during his eight years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

South Africans have called for the arrest of the City engineer after a balcony in Cape Town collapsed, leaving people injured. The balcony belonged to an old building and the number of people that were on it was too many for its ailing infrastructure to hold.

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Balcony collapses in Cape Town

The incident happened at the Athletic Club and Social in the city’s CBD on 2 November. According to SABC News, the balcony collapsed and injured several people. Structural engineers and inspectors have been dispatched to investigate the incident, but it is believed that the balcony may have been overloaded with people. Pictures taken at the scene show that the balcony was completely detached from the rest of the building.

The balcony appeared to have been made mostly out of wood, as the pictures show people attending to the balcony and taking it apart. Scores of people surrounded the scene, and those who were injured were taken to hospitals in Cape Town to be treated.

eNCA reported that 21 people were injured at the scene. Heritage Building maintenance manager Rashied Kamaldien pointed out that the building was old and the balcony was not designed to withstand the kind of weight that was placed on it.

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Mzansi shocked at bridge's integrity

South Africans were shocked that the balcony collapsed in Cape Town and shared their views on Facebook.

Elisha Gama said:

“I didn’t expect this in Cape Town. But I miss Madam Zille, though.”

Some believed that it collapsed because of low-quality engineering.

Tasko Magadla added:

“Poor engineering.”

Tlou Maffod remarked:

“Arrest the City engineer.”

PRASA bridge collapses in Jeppestown

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that a bridge in Jeppestown collapsed while two people were crossing it. The bridge, which was a pedestrian bridge, caved in as the citizens were making their way across to the other side.

The bridge was allegedly owned by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). Due to the severity of his injuries, one of the victim’s feet might have to be amputated. South Africans are stunned by how Johannesburg's infrastructure is failing.

Source: Briefly News