22 July 2025 | 10:40 CAT
2-minute read

Image: Daily Maverick.
Shafiek Tassiem / Reuters

In a nutshell:

• The George building collapse was preventable and rooted in systemic negligence.
• 14 reforms have been proposed, including stricter engineering regulation and a whistleblower hotline.
• Criminal investigations are underway with active prosecutorial involvement.

The fatal collapse of a five-storey building in George in May 2024, which claimed 34 lives and injured 28 others, was entirely preventable, according to Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson. In a report released this week, the minister laid bare the extent of regulatory failure, professional misconduct, and legislative loopholes that allowed the disaster to unfold unchecked.

“This was not an accident,” Macpherson told Radio Islam International. “Through the year-long investigation, there were multiple chances and opportunities for the project to be stopped.”

But due to a lack of mandatory reporting mechanisms and a flawed self-regulation system in the engineering profession, warning signs went unheeded.

The building collapsed on May 6 while under construction, trapping over 80 workers. Emergency services undertook a harrowing week-long rescue mission, drawing national attention. The incident became a flashpoint for broader questions about South Africa’s construction industry standards, oversight systems, and worker safety.

The minister’s investigation produced 14 recommendations aimed at overhauling the built environment. These include a national whistleblower hotline, legislative amendments to introduce compulsory reporting of safety breaches, and stricter competency assessments for engineers — shifting away from the current self-regulated model overseen by the Engineering Council of South Africa.

“We obviously have to make substantive changes,” said Macpherson. He confirmed that a Cabinet memorandum is in progress and that the Council for the Built Environment Amendment Bill would be tabled in the coming weeks.

The third and most emotionally charged phase involves criminal accountability.

“Thirty-four people can’t die in South Africa and everyone washes their hands and walks away from it,” Macpherson stated.

While the Department of Public Works is not empowered to prosecute, Macpherson confirmed that the police are working closely with a designated prosecutor to build a criminal case against those responsible.

Experts say South Africa’s construction industry has long suffered from inconsistent enforcement of safety protocols. Previous calls for reform following fatal incidents — such as the Tongaat Mall collapse in 2013 and the Grayston Bridge collapse in 2015 — often lost momentum.

“This time must be different,” Macpherson said. “What would be even more tragic is if we didn’t learn from this and then it happened again.”

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.