Probe into George building collapse complete, findings to be shared with victims’ families

After studying a report on the collapse of a five-storey residential property development in George, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson will share the findings with the families of the victims.

The report, compiled by the Council for the Built Environment, comes more than a year after the collapse of the residential property development in George caused the deaths of 34 people and injured 28.

“As the department, we will now carefully study the report to develop a pathway forward to ensure that a tragedy such as the George building collapse never happens again,” said Macpherson in a statement.

“As I have previously committed, after studying the report, I will personally return to George to present the findings of this report to the families affected by this tragedy. They deserve to hear directly from us, not through the media, about what went wrong and how we intend to rectify it.”

Read more: George building collapse deaths weren’t ‘in vain’ as probe reveals shortcomings — Simelane

Macpherson’s spokesperson, James de Villiers, said a final date had not yet been set by the minister to visit the families.

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson. (Photo: Frennie Shivambu / Gallo Images)

It is also unclear whether the findings of the report will be made public.

“This will be decided after having spoken to the families,” said De Villiers.

The collapse of the five-storey development, known as 75 Victoria, in May 2024, was followed by a recovery effort that lasted for several days. Twenty-eight survivors were eventually recovered from the rubble.

Read more: George building disaster — survivors ‘left to fend for themselves’ with ‘terrifying flashbacks’ and still no payout

The contractor for the development was Liatel Developments, under director Theuns Kruger, Daily Maverick reported.

Macpherson said the completion of the report “marks a critical step in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure’s commitment to uncover the truth behind this preventable disaster and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable”.

He said the collapse of the building was “the result of systemic failures across regulatory bodies and a lack of cooperation among key stakeholders”. He added that the department would continue to work with the South African Police Service, the National Prosecuting Authority and other regulatory bodies to “ensure accountability”.

“As I have said before, the collapse of the George building was entirely preventable, and we will therefore work towards accountability and address any errors which may have been identified. By working together, we are ensuring a safe and secure construction sector for all stakeholders,” said Macpherson.

The report is one of several commissioned by various stakeholders into the collapse.

In April, the National Home Builders Registration Council’s (NHBRC’s) investigation into the collapse of the building revealed that there were several breaches in occupational health and safety standards at the construction site, Daily Maverick’s Tamsin Metelerkamp reported.

The NHBRC is a regulatory body of the home building industry, with a mandate to protect the interests of housing consumers and to ensure that builders comply with the prescribed building standards.

Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane said the violations identified in the NHBRC’s report included a failure to address safety concerns at the site, as well as the resignation of a safety consultant during the building process. DM