Reports of unskilled labourers in George 'very worrying' - Master Builders
There are unconfirmed reports that unskilled, inexperienced labourers were constructing the building that collapsed in George last Monday.
Rescuers work through the night to reach workers trapped uder the rubble of a collapsed building in George, in the Western Cape on 12 May 2024. Picture: George Municipality/Facebook
Lester Kiewit speaks with Roy Mnisi, Executive Director of Master Builders South Africa.
Listen to the interview using the audio player below.
Of 81 workers on site when a building collapsed in George last Monday, 21 are confirmed dead and 31 are unaccounted for.
A definitive cause for the collapse has not yet been determined and investigations are underway.
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It has been reported that inexperienced workers were involved in the construction, with people hired as cleaners being asked to mix cement.
Mnisi says that, if this is true, it is extremely worrying.
He says that for a project this size, every single worker should be qualified and experienced.
“We cannot say whether or not that happened, but if it did, that would be problematic.”
- Roy Mnisi, Executive Director - Master Builders South Africa
Unskilled workers should only do cleaning, but even that must be supervised, argues Mnisi.
There are also reports that undocumented day labourers were hired to work on the project, which is a criminal offence and a safety risk.
“Contractors ought to know better.”
- Roy Mnisi, Executive Director - Master Builders South Africa
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.