Engineer claims R1.5m in damages from Ecsa

The Engineering Council of South Africa (Ecsa) is facing a defamation suit by Atholl Mitchell, the structural engineer on the collapsed Neo Victoria building.

- Alida de Beer

Mitchell is claiming R1.5m in damages in a summons issued in the Western Cape High Court on 15 August. The claim arises from a media statement published by Ecsa on 22 July regarding the findings and rulings of its investigation into the collapse that claimed the lives of 34 people.

In the statement, Ecsa announced that the engineer had been removed from its register and the maximum permissible fine imposed on him. The disciplinary tribunal had found him guilty on five charges of noncompliance with the Code of Conduct and Code of Practice for engineers under the Engineering Profession Act, 46 of 2000.