Collapsing buildings: lapses in safety and security in the spotlight

ACCORDING to Jomo Sibiya, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, the South African construction sector has one of the highest accident rates in the country, with 1.5 to two fatalities per week, and is classified as one of the top four high-risk industries in the country.

- PROFESSOR BRIJ MAHARAJ

Building collapses occur when a structure fails and partially or fully collapses, endangering human lives and health. This can result from various factors, including structural failures, poor construction practices, and external forces like fires or earthquakes. The effects of a building collapse can be devastating, leading to loss of life, injuries, property damage, and significant economic and social disruption.

On May 6 last year, the Neo Victoria project, a residential building under construction in George, Western Cape, collapsed, killing 34 workers and injuring 28.

The building collapse was a tragic disaster and one of the worst in the South African construction industry.

President Cyril Ramaphosa extended his condolences: "We know that many of you are in grief. There's no worse grief than people who have lost their loved ones. We are here to give comfort, and there will be a need for psychosocial support. And when that is the case, we will have people who will give that support. There will be assistance for those who are in hospital to be well treated. There will be assistance for those who have to be buried. There will also be compensation that will have to go through the channels of our various institutions."

Most of the deceased were foreign undocumented labourers from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. To date, there is no record of their names. After all, in South Africa, undocumented migrant labourers are expendable.

The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, presented a report by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) to the portfolio committee on human settlements on April 4 this year: "It's a report which indicates the failure of our systems at the NHBRC. There was a lapse of enrolment requirements which were overlooked by our internal staff at the council.