Zanzibar Government to Probe Collapse of Key Historical Building

THE Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar has formed a team to investigate the collapse of the historical ‘House of Wonders’, an incident which killed two and injured others.

In her statement on Saturday (December 26, 2020), Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ms Lela Mussa, said it has formed the team to look into the whole incident of collapse of the Beit Al Ajaib and find out the source of the accident.

“The government promises Zanzibaris and the world at large that it will do its best to retain the glory of the Beit Al Ajaib building which has been a symbol of the Stone Town in Zanzibar,” the minister vowed.

A section of the famous historical House of Wonders, one of the major tourist attraction sites in the Stone town, collapsed on Friday.

The dead are workers working for the project identified as Burhani Ali, 39, and Pande Haji, 36.

The other four injured people are still in hospital where they were admitted for treatment following the accident.

Earlier Saturday, President Hussein Ali Hassan Mwinyi led several government leaders, residents of Stone town, traders, and tourists to express their grief and pay tribute following the deaths and injuries, wishing those still in hospital a quick recovery.

Other government leaders, residents of Stone town, traders, and tourists’ also expressed their grief following Friday’s mishap.

“Let us hope that those trapped under the debris are recovered alive. I direct the ‘rescue and firefighters’ department’ to collaborate with the department of disaster commission to work harder to rescue them,” Dr Mwinyi said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Awadhi Juma Haji said here on Saturday that the deaths were confirmed by medical doctors at Mnazi Mmoja referral hospital where they were getting treatment. He said four other people were still admitted to the hospital.

“It is sad that two people have died, but doctors have informed us that the condition of the four injured was stable and recovering gradually,” said ACP Haji who is the Regional Police Commander (RPC) for Urban-West Region.

According to the Minister for Tourism and Heritage, Ms Lela Mohamed Musa, the victims are workers at the site of the ongoing renovation of the House of Wonders, one of UNESCO’s heritage in the East African region.

The renovation work is being done by architects from an Italian company ‘Construzioni Generali Gilardi S.p.A (CGG)’ at the estimated cost of USD 5.6 million, funded by the Oman government.

Section of the first-ever ‘tall building’ in the East African region in the 1880s collapsed on Saturday at around 11.50 am.

After about three hours of searching by the rescue service officers, three people were rescued: residents of Kinuni, Hamada Matarabdalla, 39; Dhamir Salum Dhamir, 37; and Haji Juma Machano, 24, a resident of Chumbuni area, all in the outskirts of the Zanzibar Stone Town.

Second Vice President, Ambassador Hemed Suleiman Abdalla, and other leaders were at the site where it was feared that four people were trapped under the debris.

House of Wonders is managed by Zanzibar Stone Town Heritage Conservation Authority (ZSTHCA).

The cause of the collapse is still unknown, but the State Minister (Second Vice President) Dr Khalid Salum Mohamed said the investigation was underway.

However, the decaying of the building which is the result of age and lack of maintenance were linked to its previous collapses.

This was the fourth time since 2012 when part of the roof and walls of the House of Wonders collapsed, and later closed down for major renovation of the building. The work started in April this year but later stopped due to Covid-19 and financial delays.

The House of Wonders or Palace of Wonders (in Arabic: Beit-al-Ajaib) is a landmark building in Stone Town, Zanzibar.

It was the first largest and tallest building in Stone Town, occupying a prominent place facing the Forodhani Gardens on the old town’s seafront, in Mizingani Road.

Before its closure following the first collapse in 2012, the House of Wonders was a Museum of History and Culture of Zanzibar and the Swahili Coast, with an old car used by the First President of Zanzibar, the late Abeid Amani Karume.