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1 month ago
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A report into the collapse of the George building has been submitted to Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson.
- Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says criminal charges are on the cards for those responsible for the George building collapse that claimed the lives of 34 construction workers.
Macpherson briefed the media ahead of his budget vote speech in Parliament on Wednesday.
- The report and findings will be tabled in Cabinet.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says criminal charges are on the cards for those responsible for the George building collapse that claimed the lives of 34 construction workers.
Macpherson briefed the media ahead of Wednesday’s budget vote speech in Parliament.
He said he had received the Engineering Council of South Africa’s final report on the deadly incident.
The long-awaited report was commissioned through the Council for the Built Environment, and according to the minister, it outlined a damning picture of preventable errors, regulatory failures, and professional negligence.
Macpherson said:
From what I’ve seen, I think that criminal charges are obviously required, and I think that criminality does exist.
He added the collapse of the five-storey building in George “was entirely preventable”.
“I received the final report from the Engineering Council of South Africa, commissioned through the Council for the Built Environment. It details a pattern of preventable errors, regulatory failures, and professional negligence.
“When I received the report, I committed to three things: to study it thoroughly, to ensure the findings are acted upon, and to present it to the affected families personally.”
MacPherson was scheduled to present the report’s findings on Saturday.
However, due to former deputy president David Mabuza’s funeral, he will meet with the families in George the following Saturday.
READ | Criminal charges imminent over George building collapse
“The Council for the Built Environment and the Engineering Council of South Africa will also brief the public on the outcome of these reports after the meeting with the families,” Macpherson said.
He also criticised opposition parties for pressuring the government to make the investigation reports into the collapse public.
“I do, however, want to caution some political parties, who are determined to sink the investigation that will hold people responsible by demanding reports, that the police have asked us to handle with care, for fear of risking the investigation.
“While you may get a headline here and there and a TV interview, please put the families first and the pursuit of justice instead of your own narrow interests.
Macpherson said:
I can assure the public that the families I have met with in George support our approach and don’t even know these parties that claim to speak for them.
Earlier this week, Chantelle Kyd, who is a GOOD party councillor in George, stated: “Every investigation, every report should bring closure, but instead it is adding to the same pile of unanswered questions, none of which bring justice any closer for the victims and survivors.
“This report must not become another missed opportunity. It must mark the beginning of meaningful accountability,” she said.
Macpherson added they would do what was right because they wanted to see people held accountable for the 34 deaths.
