Durban – Members of the Durban Christian Centre, whose iconic Jesus Dome was razed to the ground by fire in June, will have to resign themselves to worshipping in a tent for the next two years.
This after church leaders received notification from their insurer that a forensic investigation had been completed, and that the claim could be processed. It is expected that the process of rebuilding the structure will take at least two years.
DCC spokesperson Ron Steele told News24 that the completion of the insurance investigation was the first step in a long process.
"They did a complete forensic investigation and we have not received a copy, but they have indicated that they have accepted liability. The most important thing was that it was found that the fault was accidental and an electrical fault. These things happen," he said.
Rand value
"We are now going through the process to establish the size of the claim. We lost a whole auditorium that had 5 000 seats, including all of the electrical equipment that was inside, so that all needs to be logged," Steele added.
He said that particulars of the claim would determine the eventual rand value, and that work would now start on clearing the site of the Jesus Dome.
"At last, we will be able to get the auditorium cleaned out because we haven't been able to move anything because of the pending forensic reports," he said.
Steele said engineers would then assess the structure and determine if a new structure could be rebuilt with the walls that remain.
"It is a long road still and we have reconciled ourselves to the fact that we will be in the 2 500-seater tent for the next two years."
