Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
13 May 2024 | 19:26 CAT

About 200 emergency services personnel are working to retrieve workers trapped under rubble at the construction site in George. Image: George Municipality

The George municipality has reported that, as of Monday, May 13, 25 people remain unaccounted for following last week’s building collapse.

The death toll has risen to 27, while 13 people remain in hospital.

Rescue efforts have been underway since the partially built building in the George Central business district collapsed on May 6. The search for bodies and survivors has now continued day and night for eight days.

Rescue teams have been using cranes and other heavy machinery to move some of the thousands of tons of concrete in an attempt to reach deeper into the wreckage. Sniffer dogs are also being used.

But the death toll has also risen steadily, and at least five more bodies were recovered from the rubble on Monday.

The labour federation’s Provincial Secretary, Malvern De Bruyn, discussed the tragic incident with Radio Islam International. 

De Bruyn expressed his condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, wished a speedy recovery to those who are injured and is hopeful for survivors in the rescue efforts. 

De Bruyn said Cosatu is highly disturbed by the latest developments and that it is quite clear that there was negligence on the employer’s side. 

“We have heard that they have employed a huge number of undocumented foreigners which played a major role. They failed to comply with our labour laws in terms of registering the workers. We need to know the level of skill those employees had when the accident occurred,” he says. 

Many of the workers were foreign nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, and authorities were calling for translators to help communicate with survivors while identification of the victims was difficult.

Sketching a picture of the scene, De Bruyn said nothing of the building was left, just tons of rubble. 

Meanwhile, Multiple investigations are underway into the cause of the building collapse, including by police, who declared the site a crime scene. The construction company responsible is being investigated to see if it followed proper safety protocols.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala visited the disaster site on Monday, joined by a delegation of environmental professionals and construction industry experts.

The purpose of the visit is to ascertain the role of professionals involved with this project and to assess whether compliance with all building regulations was achieved.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie and Malvern De Bruyn.