A newly built walkway was handed over to Hoërskool Driehoek, in
Vanderbijlpark, at a sombre event on Monday.
The handover, which was attended by school management and its governing
body, parents, learners, various businesses and representatives of the Gauteng
Department of Basic Education, follows after the school experienced a tragedy
in February, in which four learners lost their lives in an accident caused by
the structural collapse of the previous walkway.
Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA), which has its
headquarters in the area, helped coordinate the efforts to first demolish and
remove the collapsed walkway, and then build the new structure.
AMSA CEO Kobus Verster on
Tuesday said the company was “humbled to be able to use its products and the
specialist skills of its people to help the school rebuild the walkway in
partnership with members of the community and several local businesses”.
AMSA said it had, in the days following the tragedy, assembled a team of
people, including employees, contractors and other local businesses, to offer
constructive assistance in rebuilding the walkway as quickly as possible.
AMSA’s Vanderbijlpark Works coordinated the demolition of the old
walkway and undertook the design of the new structure with the assistance of
architectural firm Swart and Associates.
The company also appointed the structural steel and civil contractors to
do the construction, assisted with other repair work that was required at the
school and oversaw the health and safety management of the project.
A total of 15 t of steel was used for the construction of the new
walkway.
Various local companies, including SGB Cape, the Dickinson Group,
Spec-con, Ind-Lite. Delta Cranes, Vanderbijlpark Hydraulics and Engineering,
Krupp Engineering and Hage Projects & Consultants, as well as others who
asked to remain anonymous, contributed to the project.
“We are extremely grateful to the Department of Education, the Vanderbijlpark City Council and all those companies who stepped forward to freely offer their support and services on this tremendous task,” said Verster. https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/horskool-driehoek-walkway-rebuilt-following-collaborative-community-effort-2019-04-24/rep_id:4136
