Civil engineering and construction industry organisations the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (Saice), Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) and Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) have urged patience to allow for investigations into the cause of the building collapse in Victoria street, George, on May 6.

Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has committed the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) to undertake an Occupational Health and Safety Act investigation of the site once the rescue and recovery interventions have been completed.

By the morning of May 8, rescue workers had freed 25 construction workers from the rubble, while about 39 people remained trapped. Seven construction workers had also been killed in the collapse.

“Inspectors are on site, and were dispatched [on May 7]. The department is receiving real-time information on the ground from our inspectors and the inspector-general," Nxesi said.

Multiple disaster response teams, including SAPS Search and Rescue teams with sniffer dogs, were involved in a rescue operation to retrieve the trapped construction workers. The number of construction crew on site at the time of the incident and deceased workers had been reported, but at this stage the department awaited final confirmations, he added.

“This incident has sparked a call to action for organisations to reevaluate their health and safety protocols and practices. No job is worth risking the safety or lives of employees.

“Every effort must be made to prevent similar incidents in the future. Efforts to promote a culture of safety, vigilance and accountability within organisations must be redoubled, and commitments to health and safety strengthened," Nxesi said.

On May 7, President Cyril Ramaphosa offered his condolences to the relatives and friends of those who have died, and said investigations into the cause of the incident must aim to bring closure to the community and prevent a repeat of such a disaster.

The three industry organisations also offered their condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, wished the injured a speedy recovery and lauded and thanked the rescue teams for their efforts.

“However, in the immediate aftermath of such a tragic incident, it would be unfair and insensitive to speculate as to the causes,” said Saice VP Werner Jerling.

It will take diligence and careful investigation to establish what caused this failure, and take the steps necessary to ensure it does not happen again.

“Saice reaffirms its commitment to supporting comprehensive investigations into the collapse, and calls for transparency in sharing findings to prevent similar incidents in the future," said Saice CEO Sekadi Phayane-Shakhane.

Further, CESA also urged patience and restraint as investigations proceeded, and emphasised the importance of waiting for expert analysis before drawing conclusions, said CESA CEO Chris Campbell.

“No self-respecting engineer will hazard a guess publicly without a thorough investigation. We therefore support CESA member V3 Consulting Engineers, which has been appointed to undertake the investigations.

“Our priority remains ensuring the safety and integrity of infrastructure projects in South Africa,” he said.

“MBSA will wait for the investigations to be conducted and concluded so that we know what could have led to the collapse of the structure, injuries and the sad loss of life,” said MBSA president Musa Shangase.

However, MBSA remains concerned about the safety of employees on construction sites.

“In this regard, all regional Master Builders Associations are always available to assist members and non-member companies with all aspects of construction occupational health and safety,” he highlighted.