Controlled blast fells Pretoria blocks.
Spectators cheered on Sunday morning as one of Pretoria central’s numerous derelict buildings was demolished in billows of dust and reduced to piles of rubble within a few seconds.
The derelict, government-owned 15-storey HG de Witt building in Nana Sita Street was demolished as part of the national public works department’s disposal strategy for old and unsafe structures that have reached the end their lifespan.
Demolition contractor Jet Demolition managing director Joe Brinkmann said the risks of damage to adjacent buildings and people were minimal during the operation in densely populated Pretoria central on Sunday.
