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IOL News
4 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Collapsing buildings: lapses in safety and security in the construction sector
The Tongaat Mall Image: File ACCORDING to Jomo Sibiya, Deputy of Employment and Labour, the South African construction sector has one of the highest accident rates in the country, with 1.5 to two fatalities per week, and is classified as one of the top four high-risk industries in the country. Building collapses occur when a structure fails and partially or fully collapses, endangering human lives and health. This can result from various factors, including structural failures, poor construction practices, and external forces like fires or earthquakes. The effects of a building collapse can be devastating, leading to loss of life, injuries, property damage, and significant economic and social disruption. On May 6, 2024, the Neo Victoria project, a residential building under construction, collapsed in George, Western Cape, killing 34 workers and injuring 28. The George Building Collapse was a tragic disaster and one of the worse in the South African construction industry. President Ramaphosa extended his condolences: 'We know that many of you are in grief. There's no worse grief than people who have lost their loved ones… We are here to give comfort, and there will be a need for… psychosocial support. And when that is the case, we will have people who will give that support … There will be assistance for those who are in hospital to be well treated, there will be assistance for those who have to be buried. There will also be compensation that will have to go through the channels of our various institutions.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Most of the deceased were foreign undocumented labourers from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. To date, there is no record of their names. After all, in South Africa, undocumented migrant labourers are expendable. The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane presented a report by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) to the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements on 4 April 2025: 'It's a report which indicates the failure of our systems at the NHBRC … There was a lapse of enrolment requirements which were overlooked by our internal staff at the council …There was a lapse …with regard to the structural engineering and drawings and the details which were not fully disclosed as they should have been… We also had missing detailed material information about the construction… The contractor cut corners. Our system enabled him to cut corners by not following our standard operating procedures and even approving without the fulfilment of all the necessary attachments that needed to be done.' There were also design flaws, poor quality concrete, and safety alerts were overlooked. Four construction workers lost their lives and one survived following the collapse of an embankment at a construction site in Zen Drive, Ballito, on 18 May 2024. On 29 March 2025, two workers employed by a construction firm were digging a trench on Canehaven Drive, Phoenix, when a retaining wall and sand and metal reinforcement fell on them. It was established that the deceased were Mozambican nationals. On November 19, 2013, a section of the second floor of the partly completed Tongaat Mall collapsed, killing two and injuring 29 construction workers. Construction of the Tongaat Mall had commenced without the building plans being approved. Gralio Precast, the company developing the mall, was a beneficiary of many tenders from the eThekwini Metro. A commission of inquiry was appointed by the Department of Labour and chaired by Inspector Phumudzo Maphaha to investigate this collapse. The investigation found that the collapse was due to substandard construction work and several contraventions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Construction Regulations which included the following: poor plan design; the contractor's failure to comply with regulations; contraventions of the Safety and Health regulation; missing steels and columns; lack of supervision on site; an important site diary was missing; lack of health and safety audits; and inappropriate building materials (cement imported from Pakistan did not meet South African Bureau of Standards requirements). These reasons can be attributed to a reckless, calculated strategy by the developer to save construction costs and compromise the safety of onsite workers. For example, a beam with insufficient steel bars may have led to the collapse. According to an engineer, the beam should have had 19 steel bars. Also, some of the concrete utilised was less than a third of the required strength. In May 2016, the then Minister of Labour Mildred Oliphant acknowledged that while there was clear evidence of impropriety, she was not in a position to give the names of people and companies implicated. Instead, she handed over the inquiry results to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in KwaZulu-Natal for further investigation and action. However, as reported by News 24, eight years on in May 2024, Natasha Ramkissoon-Kara, spokesperson for the NPA, said that 'Investigations are ongoing, and we are therefore not in a position yet to make any decision in respect of the matter.' However, it is a common cause that the NPA has a poor history of initiating prosecutions and achieving convictions in high-profile cases involving malfeasance. This delay by the NPA in investigating and prosecuting those implicated in deliberately compromising safety in the construction sector has national implications. An analysis conducted for the South African Institute of Occupational Health (SAIOSH) in May 2024 by Professor of Construction Management at Nelson Mandela University, John Smallwood, emphasised the ongoing safety issues and the need for extensive measures to enhance the industry's health and safety practices. According to Professor of Smallwood: 'There is no such thing as an accident … noting that what are traditionally termed accidents are often the result of management failures …Workers exposed to hazards and risks are people with a body, mind, and soul, who invariably have a partner, a family, and are derived from a community.' He emphasised that unforeseen accidents are often 'planned by default' through actions or inactions, highlighting the necessity for a change in the industry's safety approach. Lennie Samuel, a senior inspector and forensic investigator at the Department of Labour, similarly contended that the absence of oversight and management failures is the main reason for collapsing buildings. The causes of most of the incidents examined could be traced to senior management, who only fix the immediate causes or symptoms rather than the underlying issues. Regrettably, the outcomes frequently result in injuries, disabilities, deaths and collapses. A comprehensive strategy is essential to decrease accidents in the South African construction sector, including training, recognising hazards, appropriate tools and processes, and implementing robust site management practices and a robust safety culture. This involves complying with applicable regulations, fostering effective communication, and promoting employee safety, health and welfare. Professor Brij Maharaj Image: File Professor Brij Maharaj is a geography professor at UKZN. He writes in his personal capacity. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. THE POST
Daily Maverick
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Collapsing buildings and lapses in safety bedevil the SA construction sector
The construction sector has one of the highest accident rates of any industry in South Africa, with 1.5 to two fatalities per week. It is classified as one of the top four high-risk industries in the country, according to Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Jomo Sibiya. Building collapses occur when a structure fails and partially or fully collapses, endangering human lives and health. This can result from various factors, including structural failures, poor construction practices and external forces such as fires or earthquakes. The effects of a building collapse can be devastating, leading to loss of life, injuries, property damage and significant economic and social disruption. George disaster On 6 May 2024, the Neo Victoria project, a residential building under construction, collapsed in George, Western Cape, killing 34 workers and injuring 28 – a tragic disaster and among the worst in the South African construction industry. President Cyril Ramaphosa said, in extending his condolences, that 'we know that many of you are in grief. There's no worse grief than people who have lost their loved ones… We are here to give comfort, and there will be a need for… psychosocial support. And when that is the case, we will have people who will give that support… There will be assistance for those who are in hospital to be well treated, there will be assistance for those who have to be buried. There will also be compensation that will have to go through the channels of our various institutions.' Most of the dead were foreign undocumented labourers from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. To date, there is no record of their names. After all, in South Africa, undocumented migrant labourers are expendable. The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, presented a report by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) to the parliamentary committee on human settlements on 4 April 2025. She said 'it's a report which indicates the failure of our systems at the NHBRC… There was a lapse of enrolment requirements which were overlooked by our internal staff at the council… There was a lapse… with regard to the structural engineering and drawings and the details which were not fully disclosed as they should have been… 'We also had missing detailed material information about the construction… The contractor cut corners. Our system enabled him to cut corners by not following our standard operating procedures and even approving without the fulfilment of all the necessary attachments that needed to be done.' There were also design flaws, poor quality concrete, and safety alerts were overlooked. Deadly KZN collapses On 18 May 2024, four construction workers died and one survived following the collapse of an embankment at a construction site in Zen Drive, Ballito. On 29 March 2025, two workers employed by a construction firm were digging a trench on Canehaven Drive, Phoenix, when a retaining wall and sand and metal reinforcement fell on them. It was established that the deceased were Mozambican nationals. On 19 November 2013, a section of the second floor of the partly completed Tongaat Mall collapsed, killing two and injuring 29 construction workers. Construction of the Tongaat Mall had commenced without the building plans being approved. Gralio Precast, the company developing the mall, was a beneficiary of many tenders from the eThekwini Metro. A commission of inquiry was appointed by the Department of Labour and chaired by Inspector Phumudzo Maphaha to investigate this collapse. The investigation found that the collapse was due to substandard construction work and several contraventions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and construction regulations which included the following: poor plan design; the contractor's failure to comply with regulations; contraventions of the safety and health regulations; missing steels and columns; lack of supervision on site; an important site diary was missing; lack of health and safety audits; inappropriate building materials (cement imported from Pakistan did not meet South African Bureau of Standards requirements). These reasons can be attributed to a reckless, calculated strategy by the developer to save construction costs and compromise the safety of onsite workers. For example, a beam with insufficient steel bars may have led to the collapse. According to an engineer, the beam should have had 19 steel bars. Also, some of the concrete used was less than a third of the required strength. In May 2016, the then minister of labour Mildred Oliphant acknowledged that while there was clear evidence of impropriety, she was not in a position to give the names of people and companies implicated. NPA failures Instead, she handed over the inquiry results to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in KwaZulu-Natal for further investigation and action. However, as reported by News 24, eight years on in May 2024, Natasha Ramkissoon-Kara, spokesperson for the NPA, said that 'investigations are ongoing, and we are therefore not in a position yet to make any decision in respect of the matter'. However, it is common cause that the NPA has a poor history of initiating prosecutions and achieving convictions in high-profile cases involving malfeasance. This delay by the NPA in investigating and prosecuting those implicated in deliberately compromising safety in the construction sector has national implications. 'No such thing as an accident' An analysis conducted for the South African Institute of Occupational Health in May 2024 by Professor of Construction Management at Nelson Mandela University, John Smallwood, emphasised the ongoing safety issues and the need for extensive measures to enhance the industry's health and safety practices. According to Prof Smallwood: 'There is no such thing as an accident… noting that what are traditionally termed accidents are often the result of management failures…Workers exposed to hazards and risks are people with a body, mind, and soul, who invariably have a partner, a family, and are derived from a community.' He emphasised that unforeseen accidents are often 'planned by default' through actions or inactions, highlighting the necessity for a change in the industry's safety approach. Lennie Samuel, a senior inspector and forensic investigator at the Department of Labour, similarly contended that the absence of oversight and management failures was the main reason for the collapse of buildings. The causes of most of the incidents examined could be traced to senior management, who fix only the immediate causes or symptoms rather than the underlying issues. Regrettably, the outcomes frequently result in injuries, disabilities, deaths and collapses. A comprehensive strategy is essential to decrease accidents in the South African construction sector, including training, recognising hazards, appropriate tools and processes, and implementing robust site management practices and a robust safety culture.
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Over 150 NHBRC employees face lifestyle audits
Following a direction from the previous Human Settlements minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, to all departmental entities, the lifestyle audits began at the National Home Builders Registration Council in 2024, according to Human Settlements Department Director-General Alec Moemi, pictured. Image: Sisonke Mlamla / Cape Argus THE National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) has referred more than 150 employees for lifestyle audits. This decision comes on the heels of increased scrutiny regarding the council's operations, particularly following the catastrophic building collapse in George earlier this year. During a briefing to the Human Settlements Portfolio Committee, Department Director-General Alec Moemi disclosed that the lifestyle audits were initiated in response to a directive from former minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, as part of broader measures targeting entities under the department's purview. 'Initially, we focused on three of the six entities, and the others have since been asked to begin their audits,' Moemi said. 'Unlike in the public sector, where executives must declare their income and assets annually, employees in entities like the NHBRC are required to complete these forms only once,' he said. In a first round of checks concerning 82 executives and management personnel, only two employees were flagged for further investigation, while the remaining 80 were cleared. The next phase involved 216 inspectors, supply chain, and finance personnel, from which 152 were referred for further scrutiny. These 152 employees will undergo interviews where they must clarify discrepancies regarding flagged unexplained matters disclosed during the audit. Concerns regarding the lifestyle audit process have also arisen from trade unions, who complained about not being consulted and raised questions regarding data privacy and the adherence to protocols set by the Information Regulator. Deputy Minister Thandi Mahambehlala acknowledged this oversight. 'Our goal is to establish a seamless process in such a litigious environment,' Mahambehlala said. While details regarding the cost of the lifestyle audit and the identities of the involved service providers remain undisclosed, Moemi clarified that accountability measures are in place. 'If selection was mishandled, there will be consequences,' he said. Cape Times
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Homebuilders urged to embrace Alternative Building Technology and Innovative Building Technologies for a sustainable future
The high interest rate environment has spelled an increase in building material. Image: Simphiwe Mbokazi/Independent Newspapers With the prevailing economic and environmental realities, homebuilders are encouraged to consider alternatives such as the usage of Alternative Building Technology (ABT) and Innovative Building Technologies (IBT). This was as the whilst high interest rates inevitably impacted the affordability, or lack thereof, and increase in home construction costs. Portia Sebulela, the head of Marketing, Communications and Stakeholder Relations at the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), said it was actively encouraging the usage and uptake of ABT and IBT, which is are unconventional building methods or materials which are not covered by the National Building regulations and building standards. She said these are assessed for fitness purposes by Agreement SA, a certification body and custodian of IBTs in the country. 'Some of the notable advantages of ABT and IBT include reduced construction time, reduced life cycle cost, environmental impact, as well as innovative architectural options,' Sebulela said. In March, the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) said the primary risks to the housing sector include economic uncertainties, rising construction costs, and bureaucratic delays that could slow down project implementation. To resolve these problems, the institution said policy alignment, financial commitments, and stronger industry partnerships would be required. The NHBRC, a regulatory body of the home building industry, said since the inception in 1998, there has been gradual yet noticeable improvements where compliance is concerned. In January this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Housing Consumer Protection Bill to replace the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act of 1998. The NHBRC said though the commencement thereof is yet to be announced by the Minister of Human Settlements, Thembisile Simelane, the incoming Act will introduce significant changes to the legislative framework within the South African home building industry, thus enhancing how the NHBRC undertakes consumer protection and industry regulation. The NHBRC said that given the age of the current Act, the incoming Act will significantly address the isolated incidents of non-compliance and related gaps within the current regulatory framework. According to Sebulela, under the current outgoing Act, the non-categorisation of home builders is one aspect that is a challenge to the NHBRC. She said that fortunately, with the imminent new Act, the NHBRC has an opportunity to ensure home builders are categorised, graded and classed according to their respective levels of competence. She said currently, the Act prescribes that all homes must be enrolled with the NHBRC at least 15 days before construction. 'This requirement enables the NHBRC to manage its risk by ensuring that houses are inspected at all the key stages of construction. However, should the construction of the home commence without the prerequisite enrolment, this is referred to as late enrolment. "The challenge with late enrolment/s is the associated high risk thereof. The current practice by the NHBRC to inhibit late enrolments is to request the home builder to provide a financial guarantee.' The NHBRC said the home-building industry, like many sectors, is impacted by the economic realities of the country. However, it said there are signs of resilience boosted by the innovation and technology within the sector. 'For instance, most housing consumers are opting for smaller and sustainable housing as a replacement for bigger living spaces. Cluster housing is on the rise with smart technologies implemented in the housing industry, hence the growth of smart cities.' The regulator said the standards are constantly revised to meet global challenges and introduce new Building Technology in the housing sector. The NHBRC is actively promoting ABT and IBT and the applicable training with the relevant stakeholder groups. Sebulela said the homebuilding sector requires ongoing collaborative efforts from the government, financiers and business to support innovation, uphold compliance and maintain quality standards to improve the livelihood of people by implementing sustainable Human Settlement programmes. The SHRA said to improve the sector's outlook, a more coordinated effort is required between government departments, municipalities, and private sector investors to ensure timely land release, efficient funding mechanisms, and supportive infrastructure development.
Eyewitness News
05-05-2025
- General
- Eyewitness News
Families of George building collapse victims still receiving psychosocial support
CAPE TOWN - The George Municipality said that the families of the victims of the George building collapse were still being provided with psychosocial support. Tuesday, 6 May, marks exactly one year since a partially built 42-unit block of flats caved in, killing 34 people. The disaster triggered an 11-day search and recovery operation. Police took the lead at the site after all 62 artisans were accounted for, before it was handed over to the labour authorities. ALSO READ: • George building collapse: Parly committee wants full review of NHBRC processes • George Municipality says it's struggling to recover money from developer involved in building collapse • On eve of first anniversary of George building collapse, fire chief relives first moments of tragedy • George Municipality yet to receive expert report on cause of building collapse Some family members of victims of the collapsed George building told EWN before that they hadn't received any support from the government or the company responsible. Head of the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre, Gerhard Otto, said they did have challenges verifying most of the foreign nationals rescued and their families. "We found that some of them had their papers in their pockets and that is how we realise that some of the people that we found were not part of the initial figure given as part of the faces that we saw on the photos that we were supposed to be looking for." He said the language barrier also made it difficult to provide psychosocial support. "You cannot provide psychosocial support to someone if it's not in their mother language. The fallback is that you must go to the mother language." Otto added that out of the 34 people killed, only 16 were South Africans.
