Unqualified workers responsible for George building collapse, says Simelane
The five-storey development, known as 75 Victoria, collapsed in May last year and killed 34 people.
Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane on 9 April 2025 briefs the media on the outcomes of the National Home Builders Regulatory Council’s investigation into a building that collapsed in George, Western Cape, in 2024. Picture: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS
CAPE TOWN - Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has on Wednesday briefed the media on the outcomes of the National Home Builders Regulatory Council [NHBRC] investigation into the George building collapse.
The five-storey development, known as 75 Victoria, collapsed in May last year and killed 34 people.
It was still under construction at the time.
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On Friday, Simelane shared investigation findings with the parliamentary portfolio committee that officials had not properly registered the development before construction started.
Wednesday's briefing follows Simelane's undertaking several weeks ago that she would take the nation into her confidence once the report was finalised.
"The investigation into this process revealed significant irregularities in the registration process. The company in question inaccurately presented its capabilities during the registration phase. Among other things, it failed to declare its intention to construct a multi-storey building. This omission by its very nature breached the NHBRC's policies."
Simelane says a contractor was allowed to proceed with the multi-storey building construction without the proper enrolment process for such a structure.
"Even more disturbing was the unlawful use of other officials' credentials to enrol the first phase of the project. This actually demonstrated the breakdown in NHBRC internal processes."
Simelane says there were gaps in the competency of key personnel.
"This included unqualified personnel who lacked formal qualifications in engineering or quantity surveying, and they were playing critical roles in areas such as inspection. And if you are not qualified, you really won't even know what to expect, and that's one of the reasons which led to the problems that subsequently befell the George building."
Simelane says the investigation revealed that the George Municipality approved the plans when construction had already begun.
"This means the work on site started before approvals were finalised. In summary, the investigation concluded that the collapse of a building was as a result of systemic failures across multiple levels of oversight."