Pretoria - Government has welcomed the conclusion of the coroner’s inquest, instituted by the Lagos State Government, to investigate the collapse of a guest house owned by the Synagogue Church of All Nations.
The coroner found that the church must be investigated and prosecuted for negligence as it is guilty of criminal negligence over the collapse in which 114 people were killed including 81 South Africans.
“Government hopes that the conclusion of the inquest will assist the families who lost their loved ones in the tragedy find closure,” said acting Cabinet Spokesperson, Phumla Williams on Wednesday.
The residential building collapsed in September last year and it took many months for the remains of the South African victims to be returned home.
The megachurch run by popular Nigerian preacher TB Joshua, a self-styled faith healer known to his followers as "The Prophet" and "The Man of God", claimed in the immediate aftermath that areal sabotage or an explosion may have caused the collapse.
But a string of expert witnesses ruled out the theory.
The hearing was told that the guesthouse did not have planning permission and that extra floors were being added to the building at the time of the collapse. - SAnews.gov.za
