VEREENIGING. – Is the fear of the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) that the River Walk shopping centre in Three Rivers might come crashing down on shoppers and tenants legitimate?
This is the question of tenants after the municipality notified the centre and media that the building is unsafe.
In a formal notice to the River Walk Shopping Centre, ELM said its site inspection team, responding routinely on October 13 to the requested renewal of a licence, had discovered “major structural defects.”
These moved ELM to serve notice of its intention to close the centre down because it was “physically separating.”According to Mr Stanley Gaba, communications manager for ELM, “The basement is caving in and one column in the basement has erupted because of the load.”The notice was issued last week to the owner of the centre to remedy the situation within seven days. Failure to comply meant the municipality would be forced to shut it down for safety purposes.
According to Gaba’s media release the te-nants of the centre have also been notified to avert any possible crisis that may erupt.
ELM last week required a report from the owner on what remedial action was planned.
However, the municipal claim of “major structural defects” sent to the media and posted on social media could be an exaggeration inspired by the collapsing bridge in Sandton.
The Bentel Group that erected River Walk says nothing is wrong with the building. The “untrained eye” could mistake the movement of expansion joints for flaws, said Bentel director Brian McLintock.
He told Vaalweekblad that the original engineers on the project inspected the structure immediately on notice of possible problems and not one issue raised is of structural concern. “No part of the building is in danger,” he emphasised. An independent local architect, Mr Humphries Jooste, who was in no way involved in the design or erection of River Walk, says everyone with an opinion should wait for a professional report.
He hopes that ‘armchair’ experts know the difference between a structural crack and a normal expansion joint that is designed to absorb movement between various parts of a building or structure.
“The developers are respected professionals and not new to the game. As I wasn’t involved I can’t speak for them, but I believe that best practices were followed in the erection of the centre.”
By time this report was filed it was business as usual in the River Walk Shopping Centre. Tenants Vaalweekblad spoke to said they believe the warning was blown out of proportion and will keep their doors open until further notice. Tenants include, among others, a well- known pharmacy group, four banks, two cell phone shops, two restaurants, a chain store as well as a variety of other services.