Ramaphosa praises George building collapse rescue efforts, thanks responders

GEORGE - President Cyril Ramaphosa has attended a brief wreath-laying ceremony in George, where a construction tragedy has unfolded over the past ten days. 

Earlier on Thursday, he inspected the site of the building collapse where 19 people who were in the five-storey apartment block are still unaccounted for.

Thirty-three deaths have been confirmed and it's believed that 81 people were on site.

The president addressed a town hall gathering, where he thanked responders for their tireless efforts.

"... people who know their work, who are professionals, who have been busy devoting time and energy since this disaster happened, many of them, I'm told, have not even slept for days, just dealing with this."

Ramaphosa said that the operation had given him hope.

"I became more than convinced that our government is able to deal with enormous disasters. Coming here, I've proven it once again, that the capability of our government entities is second to none."

He's also commended the work of forensics.

"Our forensic department proved that they have great capability because they had to deal with people or bodies that had burned beyond recognition, they were able to piece all that together, matching the tissues with those who are still alive from the families of those who have departed."