Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) Minister, Sihle Zikalala, will today lead a delegation comprising built environment professionals and experts to the George building disaster.
Zikala’s visit follows last Monday’s collapse of the Victoria Street multi-storey site building in the Western Cape’s George Municipality.
In a brief statement on Monday morning, the George municipality confirmed 24 fatalities adding that rescue and recovery efforts are continuing.
The delegation will include leadership from DPWI senior executives, the Construction Industry and Development Board (CIDB), Council for the Built Environment (CBE) and its regulatory professional councils, namely Quantity Surveyors, Town Planners, Engineers, Environments Practitioners, Land Surveyors, Project and Construction Managers, Property Valuers, Architects and Landscape Architects.
The two entities of the DPWI are responsible for regulating the built environment and construction sector in the country.
The purpose of the visit is to ascertain the role of professionals who were involved with this project and assess if there was compliance with all built environment regulations or there was no misconduct committed by the professionals leading to the disaster.
Minister Zikalala will first visit the Joint Operations Center and get a briefing and update on the situation, then proceed to visit the disaster site.
The Minister will then address the media together with his delegation of professionals.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his condolences to the families of those who died in the tragedy.
Meanwhile, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi visited the site of the collapsed building on Thursday.
READ | Condolences for families of George building collapse
READ | George building collapse: numbers revised
– SAnews.gov.za
