George building collapse report not an engineering analysis, says civil engineering expert

JOHANNEBSURG - A civil engineering expert at the University of Stellenbosch said that the report delivered by Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane was not an engineering analysis but more of a regulatory investigation report.

Simelane briefed the media on Wednesday on the outcomes of the National Home Builders Regulatory Council [NHBRC] investigation into the George building collapse.

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The five-storey development, known as 75 Victoria, collapsed in May last year and killed 34 people while it was still under construction.

Civil engineering expert, Professor Richard Walls, said the report had more to do with the role of the NHBRC on the processes but doesn't speak to how the building collapsed.

The report revealed several gaps in the competency of key personnel, such as allowing the contractor to proceed with the construction without proper enrolment process.

According to Walls, if the collapse was as a result of a design flaw, then it would have very little to do with the NHBRC directly.

"Because then it would have been down to the engineers involved and also the municipality doesn't check design calculations, that's not their ability and role, so that would come down to an engineering shortfall. However, if you have a competent contractor, normally when there are engineering mistakes, typically an experienced contactor will identify those mistakes so to mitigate it," said Walls.