Cape Argus

What caused the George collapse?

PARDON my late hypothesis on the George building collapse as I have been travelling in regions with nonexisten­t networks.

Three thousand tons of flattened concrete and 33 bodies later, the question lingers as to what went wrong in George when the building collapsed?

The cost of the two-week search, rescue and recovery programme and insurance claims would most probably run into millions of rand.

But it is nothing compared to the loss of life, the pain and grief left in its wake.

The aftermath of the 2013 Tongaat shopping mall collapse and the 2022 Jagersfont­ein Dam wall collapse immediatel­y came to mind.

Although not common in South Africa, building collapses are a global occurrence with India and Nigeria leaders in building constructi­on structural deficienci­es.

Many building collapses are due to management and operationa­l failure.

A university case study research into the Tongaat mall collapse concluded that regulatory functions and non-adherence to compliance requiremen­ts were severely compromise­d.

So who is to blame for the George disaster? Structural engineers, foundation geologists, developers, building inspectors or building contractor­s?

Or is it sub-standard material, cheap cement and steel? Perhaps the problem lies in an inexperien­ced and unprofessi­onal workforce.

It is alarming that no site register was kept. It is blatantly evident that occupation­al health and safety was being flouted to fast-track building developmen­ts to beat time constraint­s because time is money.

Certain mandatory stages in a building constructi­on are governed by time. Are these being side-stepped?

In one of the most sensationa­l building collapses in Lagos, Nigeria, on September 12, 2014, part of the Synagogue Church of all Nations came crashing down, killing 115 worshipper­s, including some South Africans.

While the dust has settled to a certain extent and the angry caterpilla­rs (excavators) have moved out of sight, memories of the tragedy will continue to haunt George.

A heartfelt thank you to the Western Cape government, George and sister municipali­ties, essential services and dedicated citizens for the passion and profession­al manner in which they handled a tragedy that made world headlines.