Image Source: The Citizen
Local – Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane said the 2024 George building collapse, which claimed 34 lives, resulted from widespread oversight failures, regulatory non-compliance, and mismanagement by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) and project personnel.
“The George Building Collapse constitute a historic and horrific Disaster which remains fresh in the memory of many South Africans,” Simelane said.
“This terrible disaster will forever linger in the memories of the survivors, their families, and friends. Sadly, it claimed 34 lives, and some of the survivors are still recovering from a devastating day that changed their lives.”
Speaking at a media briefing alongside NHBRC leadership and senior officials from the Department of Human Settlements, Simelane presented the findings of the NHBRC’s forensic investigation.
The report confirmed that the collapse of the Neo Victoria residential building in George was preventable and stemmed from a series of critical administrative and technical failures.
These included construction commencing before proper approval, non-disclosure of multi-storey building plans, and significant lapses in inspection procedures.
“The company inaccurately presented its capabilities during registration and failed to declare its intent to construct a multi-storey building,” Simelane explained.
“This omission breached NHBRC’s policies, which require transparency regarding a home builder’s intended project scope in a technical capacity. By bypassing this process, they compromised the integrity of the project.”
Deliberate Misconduct and Breakdown of Internal Controls
The Minister also highlighted manipulation and misconduct within the NHBRC’s internal systems, pointing to deliberate actions by staff that undermined the Council’s regulatory role.
The investigation revealed that key internal controls were bypassed, allowing unqualified contractors to proceed with construction through fraudulent enrolment practices.
“Even more disturbing was the unlawful use of other official’s credentials to enroll the first phase of the project. This demonstrated the breakdown in the NHBRC’s internal control system,” Simelane said.
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Unqualified Staff, Safety Breaches and Late Approvals
Further findings included unqualified personnel carrying out inspections, poor material quality, and breaches of health and safety regulations.
The appointed technical manager lacked the proper qualifications and an incomplete geotechnical report critical to foundation design.
Municipal approval was also granted after construction had already commenced. As a result, several NHBRC officials have been suspended, and the matter has been referred to law enforcement.
“The charges that will be levelled against them include dereliction of duty, misconduct, negligence, dishonesty, and misrepresentation in official inspection reports. We will continue to monitor that this is done by following due process,” Simelane said.
New Housing Law Introduced
To strengthen accountability, Simelane announced the implementation of the Housing Consumer Protection Act (No. 25 of 2024), recently signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Act introduces stricter qualifications for builders and inspectors, improved internal controls, and harsher penalties — including fines of up to R1.5 million and prison terms of up to 10 years.
“We firmly believe that this will serve as a deterrent … The law only works when it’s enforced. We shall endeavour to do our part. However, we will not succeed on our own,” Simelane said.
“We need all stakeholders in the built environment to come on board. It’s only through cooperation by all that we will effectively enforce the recently accented Housing Consumer Protection Act.”
