George – The reasons for the fatal collapse of a multi-storey building that was under construction in George, Western Cape, have been made public.
At least 34 people were killed when the building collapsed last May.
Related: George Building Collapse: At least four bodies recovered, 24 people rescued, 51 people still locked up – the chunk
The number of deceased persons was later updated to 34 after more bodies were recovered from under the tile rub.
Disaster investigations began shortly after the site was cleared.
The National Council on Registration of Housing Builders (NHBRC) points to some anomalies in its report on the collapse of Georgeville, released by Human Resident Minister Tembi Simerene.
Here are some terrible findings from the NHBRC report:
Failure to declare a gap in the intention to construct a multi-storey building, multiple violations of occupational safety and health standards, and the ability of key personnel involved in the project.
Commenting on the report on Wednesday (April 9, 2025), Chantel Kaido, Good George Council and MMC for MMC Planning and Development said:
Councillor KYD added: “Accountability cannot be negotiated.
“But as a good party, we are very concerned about the role that the city of George will play in this tragedy.”
Councillor KYD said the more vigilant he is, the report reveals that the municipality only approved the building plan after construction was already underway.
“This reflects the significant course of oversight by the Building Planning Approval Bureau and breakdown of regulatory enforcement,” KYD councillor said.
According to the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act of Act 103 of 1977, local governments must appoint a building management officer responsible for inspecting the construction of a building.
“It's important for local governments to learn from this mistake,” Councillor KYD said.
“New operating procedures must be implemented to ensure construction does not begin without full approval of the plan.
“The building needs to be inspected and any deviations from approved building plans must be detected and acted quickly.
“As an MMC for planning and development, I request that the full NHBRC report be submitted to the Council.”
Councillor KYD said this would allow for the robust interrogation of the discovery and the development of stronger safeguards to prevent such tragedy from happening again.
“The George people deserve a guarantee that their safety is a priority.”
