Five people died when a four-storey extension under construction collapsed at Verulam’s New Ahobilam Temple of Protection on December 12, 2025. Temple founder Vick Panday was among those killed.
The structure gave way at River Range Ranch in Redcliffe, trapping Panday and construction workers beneath concrete and steel. The Sunday Tribune reported that the collapse appeared to happen during a ready-mix pouring operation.
Survivors received treatment for mild to moderate injuries. Rescue workers spent the following day searching through worsening weather before pausing the operation that evening.
An unapproved extension
The eThekwini Municipality said the four-storey addition had no approved building plans and was considered illegal. Preliminary investigations into regulatory non-compliance began while rescue teams controlled the site.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson declined to speculate about the cause. He said the Council for the Built Environment would lead the official investigation once rescue work ended, with experts already present.
“What strikes me is that more people have died. People are not supposed to die on construction sites,” Macpherson said during a visit to Verulam.
Joining him were eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba and Thulasizwe Buthelezi, the KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC. Both appealed to families to remain patient with rescuers.
A difficult search
Hundreds of onlookers had gathered after the collapse. At the beginning of the response, crowds hindered access to the site.
Prem Balram of Reaction Unit South Africa said his organisation received a call just after midday and arrived within 4 minutes. He appealed for assistance across KwaZulu-Natal because of the scale of the task.
The response brought together eThekwini Search and Rescue, South African Police Service search teams, provincial and national disaster-management centres, and a Western Cape team with dogs experienced in building collapses.
When the search paused that evening, responders still did not know how many people might be trapped. They had no list identifying everyone who had been at the construction site.
The temple Panday built
Vick and Viresh Panday had built the temple to honour Lord Nrsimhadeva, a Hindu deity. Its design resembled the Indian cave where the deity is believed to have appeared.
Rocks were brought from India, and experts advised on construction according to Vedic scientific standards. Its opening the previous year drew thousands of worshippers from many countries.
The property also contained the Vrindavan Eco Village. Ownership rested with the trust named for Vick and Helina Panday.
Macpherson connected the disaster to fragmented regulation among municipalities, building authorities and Public Works. He promised an overhaul of building-compliance rules, but said the immediate priority remained rescue rather than assigning a cause.
Sources
- Minister Macpherson to visit site of construction collapse at New Ahobilam Temple in Verulam
- Building under construction collapses on temple in South Africa, leaving 1 dead – Newsday
