George building collapse: Minister saddened by findings

CAPE TOWN - Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has called for the amendment of the building regulations to avoid a repeat of the George building collapse.

In May last year, a five-storey building at 75 Victoria Road came crashing down, killing 34 construction workers, and leaving 28 others with serious injuries.

Macpherson has made public a report by the Council for the Built Environment, which probed the conduct of contractors and engineers on site.

The Council’s report is pointing to the breach of building regulations and negligence as some of the reasons that led to the George building collapse.

Minister Dean Macpherson said the report also points to systematic failures of planning, oversight, and enforcement by different regulatory authorities.

"What happened here more than a year ago was a lethal convergence of all these failures. At every problem, at every red flag there was a chance to turn back but because of the weak regulatory environment there was either no incentive or requirement needed to do so," said Macpherson.

The Minister added that he is saddened by the findings, because he believes the tragedy could have been prevented.