Ormonde Building Owner Repeat Offender, Allegedly Encroached on Another’s Property

• The owner of the building in Ormonde, Johannesburg, which collapsed, killing six people, is allegedly a repeat offender
• Her company, New Order Investment 90 (PTY) Ltd, was previously taken to court for violating the bylaws of the Johannesburg municipality
• The company planned on extending one of its commercial properties and lost a court case for encroachment

For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, South Africa, covered a range of topics, including accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather, and natural disaster-related incidents, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG, GAUTENG— The owner of New Order Investment 90 (PTY) Ltd, whose Ormonde, Johannesburg, building collapsed, was reportedly in trouble with the law for another construction-related case.

According to SowetanLIVE, New Order Investment owner Tesmin Ghood’s other company, Ingo Rehders, was embroiled in a legal battle with Boss Foods in 2014 in which it encroached on property which belonged to Boss Foods. Boss Foods purchased a property worth over R5 million in Crown Mines in 2012. Ingo Rehders proposed an extension of its development as it wanted to close a gap separating the two properties.

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Boss Foods vs Ingo Rehders

Representatives from both companies held a discussion, and the Boss Foods representative, who was not authorised to act on behalf of the company, informed the Ingo Rehders representative that the owner of Boss Foods would not have a problem with the extension and said he would ask his boss for permission.

Construction began in January 2013, before building plans were approved by the municipality. The City of Johannesburg reportedly issued a cessation notice in January 2013 after finding out that the foundation and walls were built without approved plans.

Boss Foods filed an application with the High Court in Johannesburg, and the High Court ruled in favour of the company. This was despite Ghood’s company offering to compensate Boss Foods 1,000 for each square metre it encroached upon, an offer they flatly refused. The court also ruled that the encroachment bordered on annexation as the developer was found to have known about the boundary between the two companies before proceeding with the construction. The developer was ordered to remove the structures that were unlawfully built.

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What happened in Ormonde?

Portions of a building collapsed on 2 March 2026, trapping construction workers underneath the rubble. The Johannesburg Emergency Management Services rushed to the scene to attempt to rescue those who were trapped underneath. The death toll for those who died when the building collapsed rose to eight people, as the City of Johannesburg uncovered that the building was constructed without approval from the municipality.

Building falls on top of temple in Durban

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a temple in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, collapsed after a four-storey building fell on top of it on 25 December 2025. One person was declared dead after the incident.

The building was under construction near the temple when it collapsed, leaving more than five people trapped under the rubble. The temple’s priest was also among those who were trapped.

Source: Briefly News