Hemingways faces claims

The looming legal action from the owner of Hey Sisters boutique follows a recent bulletin sent by the mall to all tenants dispelling rumours of structural problems at the centre.

Mall centre general manager Rachel Klaasen rejected “myths” that one store's floor has dropped by 5cm and that the building had shifted so much lift shafts were no longer straight.

Klaasen quoted John Townsend of Betts Townsend, the construction project managers, as saying the centre had received all the necessary certification.

She said vibrations felt in some parts of the building were attributed to the post- tensioned roof slab which is a “live” slab designed to allow for movement when loaded and when vehicles travel on it. This movement and loading, she said in the letter, caused vibration or sound, which was transferred through the columns and slab and “felt” on the levels below or in adjacent portions of the structure.

The words are cold comfort to Pat Norris, who lost all her clothing stock from Turkey after the fire sprinkler system broke above her new shop Hey Sisters. She's suing Billion Group for R200 000 which includes medical costs for her daughter, Toni, who fell after slipping on the wet tiles.

Bax Kaplan Inc attorney Mike Francis, who represents Norris, said Billion Group's insurance company had rejected the damages claim.

Source: Daily Dispatch

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