ArcelorMittal South Africa : Hoërskool Driehoek walkway rebuilt following collaborative community effort

23 April 2019

Hoërskool Driehoek walkway rebuilt following collaborative community effort

At a sombre event at Hoërskool Driehoek in Vanderbijlpark, school management and governing body, parents, learners, representatives of the Gauteng Department of Basic Education and various businesses in the Vaal Triangle attended the handover of the recently constructed walkway at the school.

On 1 February 2019, the school experienced a tragedy when four learners sadly lost their lives and many of their schoolmates sustained injuries in an accident caused by the structural collapse of the walkway at the school.

ArcelorMittal South Africa, which has its Head Office in Vanderbijlpark, helped coordinate the efforts to first demolish and remove the collapsed walkway and then build the new structure.

Kobus Verster, CEO of ArcelorMittal South Africa, said that the company was humbled to be able to use its products and the specialist skills of its people to help the school rebuild the walkway in partnership with members of the community and several local businesses.

"As a company which has its roots firmly in the Vaal Triangle, we see ourselves as part of this community from which we draw our future employees and where we play a significant role in enhancing local education," said Verster. "We hope that the new walkway will bring some healing and will allow the teachers and learners to move forward following this tragic event."

In the days following the tragedy, ArcelorMittal South Africa assembled a team of people, including employees, contractors and other local businesses, to offer constructive assistance in rebuilding the walkway as quickly as possible.

ArcelorMittal South Africa's Vanderbijlpark Works coordinated the demolition of the old walkway and did the design of the new structure with the assistance of a firm of architects, Swart and Associates, based in Pretoria. The company also appointed the structural steel and civil contractors to do the construction, assisted with other repair work that was required

at the school and oversaw the health and safety management of the project. A total of 15 tonnes of steel were used for the construction of the new walkway.

Various local companies, including SGB Cape, the Dickinson Group, Spec-con,Ind-Lite. Delta Cranes, Vanderbijlpark Hydraulics and Engineering, Krupp Engineering and Hage Projects & Consultants, as well as others who asked to remain anonymous, contributed to the project.

"We are extremely grateful to the Department of Education, the Vanderbijlpark City Council and all those companies who stepped forward to freely offer their support and services on this tremendous task," said Verster.

ArcelorMittal South Africa has a long-standing relationship with The Department of Basic Education having built three schools for the Department, one of which was in Sebokeng, using ArcelorMittal's award-winning alternative steel building technology. The company also operates three science centres in Sebokeng, Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal and Saldanha in the Western Cape in partnership with various government departments.

	Ends
Contacts:
Vuyo Mtawa	Tracey Peterson
Head of Corporate Communications	Aprio Strategic Communications
ArcelorMittal South Africa	(on behalf of ArcelorMittal SA)
[phone]	083 408 7173

23 April 2019

Hoërskool Driehoek walkway rebuilt following collaborative community effort

At a sombre event at Hoërskool Driehoek in Vanderbijlpark, school management and governing body, parents, learners, representatives of the Gauteng Department of Basic Education and various businesses in the Vaal Triangle attended the handover of the recently constructed walkway at the school.

On 1 February 2019, the school experienced a tragedy when four learners sadly lost their lives and many of their schoolmates sustained injuries in an accident caused by the structural collapse of the walkway at the school.

ArcelorMittal South Africa, which has its Head Office in Vanderbijlpark, helped coordinate the efforts to first demolish and remove the collapsed walkway and then build the new structure.

Kobus Verster, CEO of ArcelorMittal South Africa, said that the company was humbled to be able to use its products and the specialist skills of its people to help the school rebuild the walkway in partnership with members of the community and several local businesses.

"As a company which has its roots firmly in the Vaal Triangle, we see ourselves as part of this community from which we draw our future employees and where we play a significant role in enhancing local education," said Verster. "We hope that the new walkway will bring some healing and will allow the teachers and learners to move forward following this tragic event."

In the days following the tragedy, ArcelorMittal South Africa assembled a team of people, including employees, contractors and other local businesses, to offer constructive assistance in rebuilding the walkway as quickly as possible.

ArcelorMittal South Africa's Vanderbijlpark Works coordinated the demolition of the old walkway and did the design of the new structure with the assistance of a firm of architects, Swart and Associates, based in Pretoria. The company also appointed the structural steel and civil contractors to do the construction, assisted with other repair work that was required

at the school and oversaw the health and safety management of the project. A total of 15 tonnes of steel were used for the construction of the new walkway.

Various local companies, including SGB Cape, the Dickinson Group, Spec-con,Ind-Lite. Delta Cranes, Vanderbijlpark Hydraulics and Engineering, Krupp Engineering and Hage Projects & Consultants, as well as others who asked to remain anonymous, contributed to the project.

"We are extremely grateful to the Department of Education, the Vanderbijlpark City Council and all those companies who stepped forward to freely offer their support and services on this tremendous task," said Verster.

ArcelorMittal South Africa has a long-standing relationship with The Department of Basic Education having built three schools for the Department, one of which was in Sebokeng, using ArcelorMittal's award-winning alternative steel building technology. The company also operates three science centres in Sebokeng, Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal and Saldanha in the Western Cape in partnership with various government departments.

	Ends
Contacts:
Vuyo Mtawa	Tracey Peterson
Head of Corporate Communications	Aprio Strategic Communications
ArcelorMittal South Africa	(on behalf of ArcelorMittal SA)
[phone]	083 408 7173