Emergency crews remain at the scene of a construction site collapse in George, Western Cape. (Alfonso Nkunjana/News24)
- The engineer who supervised the collapsed building in George was being investigated by the South African Engineering Council.
- The council recommended charges against Athol Mitchell for breaching its code of conduct in February.
- The complaint that triggered the investigation was filed in December 2023.
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Atholl Mitchell, a consulting engineer who oversaw the construction of the George apartment building that collapsed a week ago, was being investigated by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) at the time of the fatal accident.
The company told News24 that a committee of inquiry recommended in February that Mr Mitchell be charged with “various breaches of ECSA's code of conduct”.
ECSA regulates the engineering profession in South Africa by accrediting engineering programs and registering engineers.
The complaint that triggered the investigation was filed in December last year.
ECSA did not provide details of the complaint, who filed it, or whether it was related to George's development.
”[This decision] It has been accepted by the council and the matter will be heard in the ECSA court in due course,” said spokesperson Basetsana Khoza.
”[The] ECSA's disciplinary proceedings must be allowed to complete unhindered. [The] Therefore, ECSA cannot share the full details of the complaint until it has been finalized by the Tribunal and the Council. ”
Mitchell has not been found guilty by the ECSA.
He was appointed by developer Neo Victoria on March 8th as the structural and civil engineer for the collapsed building site.
Mr. Mitchell's firm, Mitchell & Associates, was also named as lead agent for the development.
Numerous attempts to contact him via cell phone and email were fruitless.
The death toll at the construction site had risen to 33 by Tuesday afternoon.
Read | George Building collapse exposes regulatory gaps, calls for increased oversight of private sector
Khoza said another complaint was filed against Mitchell in 2020 related to projects Mitchell oversaw in 2018 and 2019.
He added that, based on the investigation, ECSA's Investigative Committee determined that there was insufficient evidence to suggest a violation of ESCA's Code of Conduct.