Sunday saw the HG De Witt building in Pretoria razed to the ground, spectators gathering and cheering as the rubble rained down.

The derelict, government-owned 15-storey building is part of a disposal strategy for older businesses that have reached the end of the road, and those in the know are happy with how the demo went down.

IOL reports:

Demolition contractor Jet Demolition managing director Joe Brinkmann said the risks of damage to adjacent buildings and people were minimal during the operation in densely populated Pretoria central on Sunday.

“The highest danger or risk in such an operation is people. The do always come first so we take measures to protect all the people. We had cleared a block to a block-and-a-half of the area surrounding this building to make sure everyone is away,” Brinkmann said.

Here’s the moment it all came tumbling down:

Another angle from the Pretoria News Facebook page, with the action kicking off around the 40-second mark:

Good work demolition team, this is one task you really don’t want to be botching up.

[sources:viralbru&iol]