[Image: George Municipality / Facebook]
The Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, has released the final report by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) into the catastrophic collapse of the Neo Victoria residential building in George in May 2024, which claimed 34 lives.
According to the report, the collapse was the result of “a cascade of regulatory failures, technical negligence, and oversight breakdowns”.
As per SmileFM, the minister told the media during a press conference in Pretoria that the government was committed to transparency and reform, saying, “We believe in building a capable, ethical, and developmental state,” she said. “We owe it to the families of the deceased and to all South Africans to ensure this never happens again.”
Here are some of the key findings of the NHBRC Investigation:
- False Certification by Builder: The contractor misrepresented its capabilities, failing to declare the project as a multi-storey construction, thereby violating NHBRC policy.
- Enrollment Irregularities: The project was unlawfully approved before the builder was officially registered, with staff using others’ credentials to process documents—indicating a collapse of internal controls.
- Flawed Inspection Model: NHBRC inspectors conducted late and inaccurate inspections, even approving units that hadn’t been constructed yet.
- Health and Safety Violations: The site lacked compliance with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards, with no framework in place for NHBRC inspectors to enforce safety compliance.
- Unqualified Personnel: Critical roles were filled by individuals lacking the necessary engineering or quantity surveying qualifications.
- Deficient Technical Oversight: The appointed technical manager’s qualifications were never reassessed, contributing to major technical oversights.
- Engineering and Soil Testing Gaps: The geotechnical report omitted essential data for proper foundation design.
- Unauthorized Construction: The George Municipality approved the plans after construction had already begun.
Several NHBRC officials have been suspended, and the report has been forwarded to law enforcement for further investigation. The release of the report coincides with the enactment of the Housing Consumer Protection Act (Act No. 25 of 2024), signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year.
[Source: SmileFM]
