Rescue teams on site as operations continue at 75 Victoria Street, George (George municipality)
Preliminary findings from the investigation by governmental entities have revealed regulatory and compliance gaps in the construction of the building in George that collapsed last week, killing more than 30 people to date.
The George municipality confirmed on Tuesday that 61 construction workers had been retrieved from the site over the past week, 33 of whom died. In videos circulated by the local authorities, rescue workers can be seen drilling through the rubble searching for the remaining 19 workers.
Rescue operations have continued since the five-storey apartment building collapsed on 6 May. According to the department of employment and labour, there were 81 construction workers on site at the time.
“At this point, we think that the estimate of 81 might be more or even less but rescue efforts will continue into the week,” said George mayor Leon van Wyk.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala told a media briefing in George on Monday that Liatel Development, the main contractor for the project, was not registered with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), a public entity which provides a regulatory and developmental framework for the industry.
Both the CIDB and Liatel Developments had not responded to questions from the Mail & Guardian at the time of publication.
Rescue teams on site as operations continue at 75 Victoria Street, George (George municipality)
This matter is being treated as a third-party investigation in line with the public works and infrastructure department’s mandate as public interest and safety, Zikalala said.
The minister said the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) had confirmed that an investigator visited the site when it collapsed to determine the possibility of improper construction.
“The investigator’s mandate included a comprehensive examination of any factors of the engineering professionals associated with the development and implementation of the design of this project according to ECSA’s section 14 responsibilities,” Zikalala said.
People contacted during the investigation included the developer, the architects, the quantity survey, the contractor, the municipality, the chief building control officer and the chief inspector from the department of employment and labour.
The engineering council said it had previously received two complaints against one of the registered people on this project. One complaint, received in 2019, was investigated and dismissed. A recent one was received in December 2023, and that investigation is ongoing.
After all reports were filed by the investigating team, the engineering council said it would determine whether there were actions that should be considered under the Project and Construction Management Professions Act.
The George municipality said it had enlisted the assistance of the Forensic Pathology Service and the police to expedite the identification of the dead, using fingerprints, DNA testing and photographs of unique markings such as tattoos and clothing items.