A building collapse that killed 34 construction workers and injured dozens more in the Western Cape town of George last May was “entirely preventable”, South Africa’s government has said.
A newly released report into the 2024 tragedy revealed that serious safety concerns had been raised well before the partially-built five-storey apartment block came crashing down, including the use of substandard materials, structural cracks, and visible gaps.
Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson said the collapse was the result of multiple failures, adding that some of the defects in the building were detected a year before the building collapsed, and that the health and safety officer even resigned in protest but work continued.
Workers reported feeling vibrations in the partially built structure and being told to cover up holes with sand and substandard concrete.
The minister has called for criminal accountability for those found to have been negligent and pledged to introduce regulations to improve oversight in construction and reform outdated legislation.
