A Verulam temple, built as a sanctuary of prayer and protection, has become the site of tragedy after a structural collapse claimed the lives of five people, including its founder, Vick Panday. The New Ahobilam Temple of Protection, located at the River Range Ranch in Redcliffe, crumbled on Friday afternoon while an extension was under construction.
The Panday family, prominent figures in Durban's business and charity circles, have retreated into mourning and are unable to speak to the press.
Hundreds of onlookers gathered at the scene as rescue workers battled against time and deteriorating weather conditions to locate survivors. Initial chaos hampered access to the site. The search operation was suspended yesterday evening due to poor conditions but was expected to resume at first light, weather permitting.
Among the deceased is Vick Panday, who, alongside his brother Viresh, dedicated years to constructing the temple in honour of the Hindu deity Lord Nrsimhadeva. The temple's design was inspired by the cave in India where the God is believed to have manifested. Rocks were imported from India, and specialists were brought in to ensure the structure adhered to Vedic scientific standards.
A relative, speaking on Friday evening while Panday was still trapped, said: “Vicky is trapped under the rubble. Viresh was not on site. It is indeed a very sad time for us.”
The collapse occurred at a four-storey extension which, according to the eThekwini Municipality, lacked approved plans and was therefore deemed illegal. The structure gave way during a ready-mix pouring operation, trapping construction workers and Panday beneath tons of concrete and steel.
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, visited the site yesterday, accompanied by KZN Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi and eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba. Macpherson expressed his frustration at the recurring tragedies in the construction sector, stating he was “tired of hearing of people dying in building collapses.”
“What strikes me is that more people have died. People are not supposed to die on construction sites,” Macpherson said. “Buildings are supposed to stand tall and be monuments to engineering excellence. This obviously is the very opposite of that.”
Macpherson confirmed four fatalities at the time, with additional survivors treated for mild to moderate injuries. A multi-disciplinary team, including units from eThekwini Search and Rescue, SAPS Search and Rescue, the KZN and National Disaster Management Centres, and the Western Cape Search and Rescue team, are leading the rescue efforts. The Western Cape team has brought dogs experienced in previous building collapses.
Macpherson stressed that the immediate focus remains on rescue, declining to speculate on the cause of the collapse. The Council for the Built Environment is set to lead the official investigation once rescue operations conclude, with experts already on the ground.
Beyond the immediate crisis, the minister highlighted systemic failures within the built environment, pointing to regulatory fragmentation across municipalities, building authorities, and Public Works. “There’s no synergy or common objective to those regulations,” he said. “We need to end that fragmentation because gaps exist where people are able to take opportunities.” He vowed a swift overhaul of building compliance regulations.
Macpherson drew a stark comparison between the construction sector and the mining industry regarding safety. “The building industry has to catch up to the safety and zero-tolerance approach to injuries and death in the mining industry,” he said. “We are working in as dangerous conditions as the mining industry, and the safety, compliance, and regulatory standards don’t seem to be there.”
Buthelezi and Xaba appealed to families to remain patient with the rescue teams. “We do have hope that if there is a chance that someone is still alive, then we need to use all our efforts and energy to rescue that person,” Buthelezi said. Xaba noted that preliminary investigations into regulatory non-compliance have begun.
Prem Balram, from the private security company Reaction Unit South Africa, said they received a call shortly after midday on Friday and arrived at the scene within four minutes of the structure collapsing. Balram said he immediately knew that they would require all hands on deck.
“I sent out a plea asking for anybody in KZN to help us because this was a mammoth task and I knew that we would need help; no single person, no single company would be able to handle it," he said.
By the time the rescue mission was called off last night, authorities still had no clear indication of how many individuals were missing or trapped under the debris, as a comprehensive list of personnel present on-site during the collapse was unavailable.
The temple, which opened last year, attracted thousands of devotees from around the world, drawn by its unique architecture mirroring the cave in Ahobilam, South India, where Lord Nrsimhadeva is said to have appeared. At the time of its opening, Panday said, “Nrsimhadeva appeared in a cave in Ahobilam in South India, so the temple should resonate with where he appeared and how he appeared.”
The temple is situated on the River Range Ranch in Redcliffe, a property that also houses the Vrindavan Eco Village, owned by the Vick and Helina Panday Family Trust. The Panday family previously established the Food For Love programme, dedicated to providing meals to communities and organisations across the region.
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