The tragic Verulam temple collapse that left five dead and several injured

A devastating building collapse near the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection in Redcliffe, Verulam, claimed the lives of five individuals and left several others injured. The tragic incident occurred on December 12, when a four-storey structure at River Range Ranch crumbled, trapping people beneath the debris. Emergency services responded swiftly, but the aftermath has raised serious questions about the legality and safety of the construction.

The temple was owned by a family trust.

Reaction Unit South Africa officers and paramedics arrived on scene and found eight construction workers outside the collapsed structure. They sustained mild to moderate injuries. Others remained trapped beneath the debris. 

Upon arrival, teams from IPSS Search and Rescue, eThekwini Fire Department, Netcare 911, Durban Metro Police Search and Rescue, and SA Police Service Search and Rescue assessed the situation. 

Those with minor injuries were rescued before teams could attempt to reach those trapped. 

Search and Rescue: A Battle Against Debris and Time

Interventions included deep rescue preparation, heavy machinery and drone utilisation, establishing an on-site incident command, and technical advice from the Engineering Council of South Africa, the Council for the Built Environment (CBE), and the Construction Industry Development Board.

The search was called off late Friday night. At 5am Saturday, teams from IPSS Search & Rescue, SAPS SAR, Durban Metro Police SAR, SARZA, and the eThekwini Fire Department resumed the effort. Multiple teams worked tirelessly to recover four bodies. The search was cancelled later that afternoon due to the weather and teams returned Sunday morning and recovered the fifth body.

Multiple government departments and organisations have visited the site since the incident. These included the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier. 

The Victims: Legacies of Dedication and Selflessness

Temple founder Vick Panday, 52, Food For Love Africa cook Vasudeva Datta Das, 65, farmer Kishore Hurribhujan, 63, electrician Jayaseelan ‘Jayce’ Perumal, 58, and construction worker Adbul Prabhus were killed during the incident.

According to reports, Panday opened his doors to everyone. He was for the community and unity and was pivotal in the establishment of the Food For Love Africa community kitchen. 

Vasudeva was on a mission to feed the hungry and devoted his life to that cause. He was described as a selfless humanitarian who dedicated his life to serving others, asking for nothing in return. 

Hurribhujan, a litchi farmer, donated vegetables to feed the local community. He supplied free vegetables to Food For Love Africa. Hurribhujan was said to have a big heart and helped everyone. 

Perumal, a self-employed electrician, was believed to have been doing electrical work in the new building when it collapsed. He was a supportive father and loving grandfather to his son’s three children. 

After five bodies were recovered over the weekend, teams began clearing the site, which contained exposed rebar, metal strips, and planting. Canine search dogs initially indicated a possible body in one area, but after clearance and a second search, they showed no further indications. On Monday, December 15, the SA Police Service’s search and rescue and eThekwini fire and emergency services sent a small team for another inspection with the dogs and a walk-through of the site. They were eventually stood down pending further development.

Unauthorised and Unlawful: Investigation Uncovers Building Violations

eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba revealed that between 2022/2023, the City received two building plans from the land trustees. However, both applications were refused because the land on which construction was proposed was zoned as a conservation reserve.

The four-storey building was erected without the required municipal approvals. Unauthorised work was not observed during the construction, and therefore no inspections were carried out.

KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer said the scene was handed over to the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) since the recovery efforts were completed. The DEL issued a prohibition notice on December 12, 2025, instructing the property owner not to remove, alter, or collapse the structure.

Technical Probe Launched

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and the CBE are leading the technical probe into the collapse. 

DPWI Minister Dean Macpherson said that the collapsed structure was a reinforced concrete multi-storey building under construction, which featured concrete columns, flat slabs, and masonry walls. The collapse happened during concrete pouring on the upper levels.

Preliminary evidence, including available video footage, suggests a sudden structural failure, likely a formwork or shuttering collapse while pumping wet concrete. This would have imposed significant, abnormal dynamic loads, leading to a rapid and progressive collapse that the structure was not designed to withstand.

Macpherson cited serious concerns from early visual assessments about construction quality, including misaligned structural elements and potentially substandard materials. Rescue personnel also reported friable concrete on site, which required further forensic testing.

He said preliminary indications from relevant authorities are concerning: no approved building plans or construction permits were submitted or issued, and the building may have been occupied without an occupation certificate, all serious contraventions of the National Building Regulations and Standards.

The site has been deemed a crime scene. 

While a detailed forensic investigation was necessary to precisely determine the failure mechanism, as various potential contributing factors were still being examined, preliminary findings already indicated serious construction lapses and a full investigation has been promised to establish accountability.

Preliminary Findings Reveal Serious Construction Lapses

CBE chief executive officer, Dr Msizi Myeza, announced that the preliminary investigation yielded 13 findings. These findings were grouped into broad categories:

1. Contravention and non-compliance with legislation governing the built environment and construction: The structure was a four-storey reinforced concrete building, with concrete columns and flat slabs with masonry infill panels. Contravention of National Building Regulations and Building Standards, Municipal By-laws, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Spatial Land Use Management Act, and violation of health and safety. It was concluded that the River Ranch Temple was unauthorised, unlawful and unsupervised, and illegal.
2. Sub-standard material and construction methods: The samples were subjected to concrete lab testing, where the preliminary testing confirmed excessive voids in the concrete and a breach of standard concrete practice.
3. Formwork: The formwork appeared to have caused the building to collapse.
4. Slabs and concrete: Slabs appeared to be very thin, inadequately reinforced, and not very robust. 

The CBE would undertake a detailed investigative enquiry into the collapse through an integrated three-component approach comprising; a technical investigation (structural, engineering considerations, and compliance with applicable building codes, standards, and regulations); a governance and regulatory enquiry (the roles, conduct, and accountability of built environment professionals involved, oversight, inspection, and municipal approval processes across the development lifecycle), and an analysis of systemic and structural weaknesses, to inform practical recommendations aimed at preventing similar incidents in future.

The scope of the investigation would include the CBE and other regulators undertaking a professional and governance enquiry as mandated by their respective legislations. 

A court of law working with law enforcement agencies would determine if negligence caused the deaths of five people and injuries to 11 others.

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za