George building collapse site: Auctioneer eyes development opportunity for residential flats

The auctioneer overseeing the sale of the George building collapse site said the property is a great development opportunity for residential flats within the CBD.

Thirty-four construction workers were killed and 28 others seriously injured when a partially built five-storey apartment block at 75 Victoria Street collapsed in May 2024.

ALSO READ: New owner of George building collapse site won't be allowed to use previously approved plans - George Municipality

The Council for the Built Environment and the Engineering Council of South Africa investigated systematic failures that led to the tragedy.

Both entities found negligence and flouting of building regulations, among other findings, on the part of the building developer, contractor, and the engineer on site.

The vacant site at 75 Victoria Street in George is going under the hammer later in November.

It’s been 18 months since 62 people were buried under 6,000 tonnes of rubble due to the multi-storey building collapse.

Locals were hoping for a memorial site to be built there, but Van's Auctioneers CEO Martin Pretorius said the site would go on auction instead.

"It's an online auction and it will be on November 25 from 12 o'clock and it will end the following day at noon."

Pretorius said the property is valued at R12 million but is expected to sell for between R6 million to R7 million.

Meanwhile, the George municipality said it has withdrawn its claim for recovery costs against the company responsible for last year's George building collapse.

The municipality had a claim of more than R9 million against the developer for costs it incurred after the implosion, which include infrastructure repairs, material removal from the site and safeguarding of the site.

"The property is privately owned, and as such, the disposal or use thereof remains at the discretion of the owner. The Municipality is aware that the company has been liquidated, and accordingly, the initial claim for recovery costs was withdrawn. Any outstanding municipal claims do not automatically preclude the auction from proceeding," explained the municipality’s Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe.

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