Foreman at the Tongaat Mall construction site, Ronnie Pillay, told the Thongathi Mall Commission of Inquiry that there were a number of changes in the design of the mall during the construction phase.

Pillay said that, although he raised concerns, changes were made to the design by the engineer and the owner of the construction company and that he had no say.

He declined to talk about whether a weak mix of concrete was prepared on site because he has no expertise in the field. He did however tell the commission that said he was not aware of the tests results done on the strength of the concrete slabs, as these were not available on site, but were being sent to the office.

According to Pillay, at no stage did he give orders for the stripping work to be performed on the construction site. He said stripping work was done by the stripping foreman and his team.

Rob Young, an engineer that was appointed to investigate the sight of the mall, told the commission that there was insufficient foundation strength and that there was a lack of controls from an engineering perspective. He said this raises questions about supervision.