Tragedy: Officials at the building in George which collapsed on 6 May. Teams are still digging for the bodies of missing workers. Photo: Willie van Tonder/AFP
The main contractor involved in the construction of the George building that collapsed last week, Liatel Developments, claims it is following “protocol” in various investigations to determine the cause of the disaster.
“At this time, Liatel makes the firm commitment that it will cooperate, and is currently cooperating, with the ongoing search-and-rescue and recovery operations,” Liatel Developments director Theuns Kruger told the Mail & Guardian.
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said last week the department had failed to make contact with the building’s developers, Neo Victoria. Liatel was contracted by Neo Victoria to carry out the construction of the five-storey building, which collapsed on 6 May.
The George municipality confirmed that, as of Wednesday afternoon, 61 construction workers had been retrieved from the site, 33 of whom had died.
In videos circulated by the local authorities, rescue workers can be seen drilling through the rubble searching for the remaining workers.
According to the department of employment and labour, there were 81 construction workers on site at the time of the collapse.
“Rescue workers are now drilling through what would have been the first floor of the building and the basement, so we are hoping in the coming days that we will rescue each and every unaccounted body,” George’s mayor Leon van Wyk said.
The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) — a public entity that regulates the industry — confirmed that Liatel was not registered as a contractor. “The company mentioned, Liatel Construction, is not on the CIDB register of contractors,” CEO Bongani Dladla said.
Preliminary findings from an investigation conducted by government entities revealed regulatory and compliance gaps in the construction of the building. “Generally, building failures of this nature are a result of a combination of factors ranging from poor designs [and] site investigations or poor construction,” Dladla said.
Liatel Developments did not respond to the M&G’s questions about not being registered with any legal construction body.
It did say Liatel was aware of a video being circulated showing what seems to be a cleaner mixing cement during the building’s construction.
“Liatel was made aware of a video clip … regarding an allegation that a cleaner was used to mix cement at the site, while she was employed differently,” Kruger said.
“All information and allegations will form part of the investigations underway,” he added.
On Monday, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala said the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) had confirmed an investigator had visited the site after the collapse 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.
Liatel told the M&G that representatives of the company had attended meetings with the disaster-management authorities and the labour department. The labour department was “working tirelessly to investigate the causes of the tragedy but there are not enough answers at this stage for all the questions that surround this tragedy”, Kruger said.
When asked about allegations that Liatel had employed undocumented workers, Kruger said: “It is regrettable that the answers will take some time to address as it is dependent on what the investigations reveal.”
The George municipality said it had received assistance from the Forensic Pathology Service and police to expedite the identification of the dead. The pathology team announced on Wednesday that it had completed the formal identification process of the victims. So far, 18 victims — 14 men and four women — have been identified. Of these, seven were South African, three Zimbabwean, five Malawian, one Mozambican and one person was from Lesotho. One other person’s nationality has not been disclosed.
George municipality confirmed that psycho-social support practitioners, fluent in Chewa, Portuguese, and Shona, were available to bridge the language gap between authorities and the families of the victims.
Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie, who has long been vocal about foreign workers being employed in South Africa, criticised the Western Cape government for hiring translators.
“They should go get trauma counselling in their own countries,” McKenzie said in a Facebook post.
The department of employment and labour said it would work with the department of international relations and cooperation to discuss the way forward.
President Cyril Ramaphosa during his visit to the site on Thursday expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and hailed the quick response by government entities in dealing with the disaster.
“Our focus is on saving lives, caring for the injured and making sure that the remains of those that lost their lives are well put together,” Ramaphosa told a packed George City Hall. The president also welcomed the efforts by the consulates of Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho and Mozambique to engage with the government authorities.