You Need

A contractor was killed, and three others injured when a building under construction collapsed on them in Benoni, Ekurhuleni Emergency Services said on Tuesday.

Emergency services spokesperson William Ntladi said a rescue team and paramedics had rushed to the scene on the corner of Liverpool and Bolton roads on Monday afternoon.

They found bystanders had helped the survivors from the collapsed building.

“As per information on the scene, the building was a new multi-storey structure. It was on its third-floor level already. It is alleged that the four employees were removing the supporting structures prior to the collapse,” said Ntladi.

The three contractors, who were seriously injured, were transported to hospital.

The body of the fourth, a man believed to be in his early fifties, was removed from the scene by forensic pathologists.

The scene was handed over to police for further investigation.

^{The rubble where the contractor’s body was retrieved. (Supplied)}

The family of Alfred Nzo District Executive Mayor Sixolile Mehlomakhulu has accused him of vandalising their family home and physically attacking family members, however, the mayor has opened a case of his own.

In a video posted on Twitter by Mehlomakhulu’s nephew, Xola Mehlomakhulu, the mayor is seen wielding two large sticks amid a scuffle with another family member.

The family had since opened a case of grievous bodily harm with the police, according to Xola.

He said Mehlomakhulu had entered the family home in the Eastern Cape on Sunday “out of the blue” and started removing and breaking objects in the house.

“My uncle came in and just said he bought the ceilings in the house, so they started removing the ceiling, they removed the solar panel and just started vandalising the house,” Xola added.

On Monday, Mehlomakhulu once again returned to the house.

“He took a stick and started hitting my uncle. The video was taken then.”

Xola said once the executive mayor realised he was being filmed, he stole the phone and ran away.

He added the motive behind the altercation was unclear.

“He just came inside and started attacking them and said they were not welcome there … he has been terrorising my family,” Xola said. 

‘Mayor not there to fight with anyone’

The mayor’s municipal spokesperson referred questions to family spokesperson Msawenkosi Mehlomakhulu who said the executive mayor was, in fact, not there to fight with anyone.

He added Mehlomakhulu was attacked and had to run away.

Both parties have opened cases with the police.

ANC regional secretary Vukile Mhlelembana said he could not comment on the video as he did not know the context behind it.

He added he had spoken to the executive mayor but had not yet spoken to the family.

“If that happened … we condemn it.”

Mhlelembana added the provincial ANC would decide on a way forward once it had the full story.

Xola said the family had given up on the ANC taking any action as the issue had been going on for years.

Previously, the party had met with the family to act as a mediator.

Xola, however, said this was not enough.

“The family has just lost confidence in the ANC … we’ve been saying this needs more attention,” he added.