Calls for transparency as findings remain secret

AS THE first anniversary of the George multi-storey tragedy approaches on May 6, the local government's transparency came into question at the briefing of the Standing Committee on Infrastructure regarding their independent investigation.

- CHEVON BOOYSEN

Yesterday Western Cape MEC for Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers was probed about the “veil of secrecy” around the findings from an independent investigation.

Simmers confirmed the final report, which was undertaken by structural engineering firm B3 and which has been subsequently peer-reviewed, has been handed to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for a criminal investigation due to the loss of lives.

Recently, in a preliminary report, Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane exposed alarming negligence and corner-cutting by the project’s developers.