One year after the George multi-storey collapse: Calls for accountability and transparency

As the first anniversary of the George multi-storey tragedy approaches on May 6, the local government’s transparency came into question at the briefing of the Standing Committee on Infrastructure regarding their independent investigation. 

On Friday morning, ahead of the presentations, Western Cape MEC for Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers was probed about the “veil of secrecy” under which their findings from an independent investigation are held. 

Simmers confirmed the investigation findings and the final report, which was undertaken by structural engineering firm B3 and which was subsequently peer-reviewed, have since been handed to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for a criminal investigation due to the loss of lives.

Recently, in a preliminary report, Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane exposed alarming negligence and corner-cutting by the project's developers.

According to the national department’s preliminary report, Simelane announced that the company responsible for the Neo Victoria project was accused of bypassing crucial regulatory processes, fundamentally undermining safety protocols designed to protect both workers and residents. 

The building collapse claimed the lives of 34 people.

On Friday, Simmers maintained that their final report is now the subject of a criminal investigation, and after receiving legal advice, they would not make the report public and would follow the rule of law.

“The law must now take its course,” said Simmers.

According to Simmers, they were handed a sole hard copy of the report, and this was handed to the SAPS. 

When Simmers questioned the absence of Simelane at the briefing, MPs hit back, probing why the 300-page report received by local government could not be made public. 

MPs Khalid Sayed (ANC), Brett Herron (GOOD), and Patricia Lekker (ANC) called for transparency so the George community could get answers on what transpired and what the inadequacies were that deemed the provincial report to be part of a criminal investigation.

Sayed said: “Unfortunately, this morning’s meeting of the Standing Committee on Infrastructure regarding the disastrous collapse of the George Building one year ago raised more questions and red flags than providing answers. The continued secrecy surrounding the premier’s investigative report, legal advice, and the municipal probe reinforces what we've long said: the DA’s lack of transparency and accountability is matched only by its arrogance. 

“The investigative report concluded by the premier that was subsequently handed over to SAPS is still ‘secret’, the legal advice provided on the investigative report is ‘secret’, the municipality’s investigation is not complete but will be deemed secret, with the council deciding what should be made public and what should be kept a secret…

“Their persistent refusal to fully disclose matters of such grave public interest, especially when they involve the lives of the poor and marginalised, is deeply troubling,” said Sayed.

Herron echoed these sentiments and said Simmers’s department has cloaked the report in secrecy. 

“The families of those who lost their lives when the Victoria Street building in George collapsed, almost exactly one year ago, would have been insulted, shocked, and disappointed to observe the Western Cape Standing Committee on Infrastructure pretending to interrogate what caused the collapse of the building. The victim’s families were failed today, and they deserve better.  

“The starting point is to summon those who have completed investigations, and that includes the premier and the minister of Human Settlements, to brief the committee on their findings… We also learned that the George Municipality, while conducting its own technical investigation, sought a legal opinion on liability before receiving the technical findings.

“That raises serious questions about whether it is attempting to manage legal risk rather than uncover the truth. A determination of liability should flow from facts, not precede them. The victims’ families deserve more than symbolic meetings and political theatre,” said Herron.

During the briefing, the George Municipality confirmed the expenses incurred during the Mass Casualty Incident amounted to R9.2 million.

Patriotic Alliance (PA) MP Bradley Marais called for a judicial commission of inquiry into the investigations undertaken by various stakeholders and said “nobody must get away”. 

Democratic Alliance MP Dirk Wessels said Simelane’s absence and having evaded today’s briefing demonstrated the department’s lack of commitment to transparency and public accountability”. 

“Every investigation report into this tragedy conducted by national, provincial, and local government will be interrogated by the Standing Committee on Infrastructure because this event demands sustained oversight to prevent future tragedies from occurring. The DA in the Western Cape calls for Minister Simelane to provide immediate and unambiguous public clarification on whether the NHBRC report has been finalised,” said Wessels.

Cape Argus