Murray & Roberts Buildings managing director Alex Boyazoglua said a section of wall, about 4.9m long and 3.6m high, was blown over by excessive winds which were accompanied by forceful gusts, on Wednesday afternoon.

"It is extremely unfortunate that one of the SMME subcontractors' employees was in the path of the wall as it was blown over. The emergency services' response time was certainly commendable and the injured employee received medical attention very soon after the incident," he said.

Boyazoglua said the 33-year-old employee was stabilised at the scene and transported to Greenacres Hospital. "Murray and Roberts's safety manager Bennie de Koker, accompanied by the employee's brother, visited the hospital on Wednesday evening to obtain feedback on the employee's condition. It was confirmed that the employee was stable, but had sustained serious injuries," he said.

Other senior company managers and a Baywest Mall manager had later also visited the employee. He said a detailed investigation was being conducted into the possible causes of the incident and also to ensure that good safety standards were being maintained