Tragedy: George building staff collapsed on May 6th. Teams are still searching for the bodies of the missing workers. Photo: Willy Van Tonder/AFP
TRiatel Developments, the main contractor involved in the construction of the George building that collapsed last week, insisted it had followed “protocols” in various investigations to determine the cause of the disaster.
“At this time, Riatel is committed to, and is currently cooperating with, the ongoing search, rescue and recovery operations,” said Teuns Krueger, Riatel Development Director. email and guardian.
Employment and Labor Minister Thulas Nxesi said last week that his ministry had been unable to contact Neo Victoria, the building's developer. Riatel was contracted by Neo Victoria to construct a five-story building, which collapsed on May 6th.
The City of George confirmed as of Wednesday afternoon that 61 construction workers had been rescued from the site, and 33 of them had died.
Video distributed by local authorities shows rescue workers digging through the rubble to find the remaining workers.
According to the Employment and Labor Department, there were 81 construction workers at the site at the time of the collapse.
George Mayor Leon van Wyk said: “Rescue workers are currently drilling through the first floor and basement of the building, and we hope to be able to extract each of the missing bodies one by one in the coming days.'' “I am doing so,” he said.
The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), the public body that regulates the industry, confirmed that Riatel is not registered as a contractor. “The company mentioned, Riatel Construction, is not on the CIDB contractor register,” CEO Bongani Dladla said.
Preliminary findings from a study conducted by a government agency have revealed regulatory and compliance gaps in building construction. “Typically, this type of building failure is caused by a combination of factors, ranging from improper design. [and] Is it an on-site investigation or shoddy construction?'' Dladla said.
Liatel Developments did not respond to this question. M>his is a question about not being registered with a legal construction organization.
Liertel said he was aware of a video circulating showing what appeared to be a cleaner mix of cement during the construction of a building.
“Ms. Liatel learned of a video clip alleging that cleaning products were being used to mix cement at the site, even though she was in a different employment capacity,” Krueger said.
“All information and allegations will become part of the ongoing investigation,” he added.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala said on Monday that the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) confirmed that investigators had visited the site after the collapse to determine possible improper construction.
“In accordance with ECSA Article 14 Responsibilities, the investigator's duties included a comprehensive examination of all elements of the engineering profession involved in the development and implementation of the design of this project,” Zikalala said. .
Riatel said: M&G Representatives of the company said they attended meetings with disaster management authorities and the labor department. Krueger said the Labor Department is “working vigorously to investigate the cause of this tragedy, but at this stage all questions surrounding this tragedy are not fully answered.”
When asked about the suspicion that Riatel employed illegal immigrants, Krueger said, “It's unfortunate that it's taking so long to answer because it depends on the outcome of the investigation.''
The City of George said it was receiving assistance from the Forensic Pathology Department and police to speed up the identification of the deceased. The pathology team announced Wednesday that it had completed the formal identification process of the victim. A total of 18 victims, 14 men and 4 women, have been confirmed so far. Seven of them were South African, three were Zimbabwean, five were Malawian, one was Mozambican and one was from Lesotho. The nationality of the other person has not been disclosed.
The City of George has confirmed that psychosocial support professionals fluent in Chichewa, Portuguese and Shona are available to bridge the language gap between authorities and victims' families.
Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie, who has long been vocal about the employment of foreign workers in South Africa, criticized the Western Cape government for employing interpreters.
“They should receive trauma counseling in their home countries,” McKenzie said in a Facebook post.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor said it would work with the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation to discuss the way forward.
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the area on Thursday to express his condolences to the families of the victims and praised government agencies for their swift response to the disaster.
“Our focus is to save lives, take care of the injured and ensure that the remains of those who lost their lives are properly intertwined,” Ramaphosa told a packed George Town Hall. Ta. The President also welcomed the efforts of the embassies of Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho and Mozambique to collaborate with government authorities.
