The death toll from the George building collapse has reached 32, with the recovery of eight more bodies on Tuesday. Currently, twenty people are still missing, while thirteen are hospitalized.
Despite ongoing rescue efforts, the cause of the disaster, which occurred a week ago, remains unknown. Authorities in the Western Cape are conducting investigations.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala stated that the government lacks detailed information about the main contractor responsible for the collapsed structure in George. This is because the company is not required to register with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) when working for private clients.
Zikalala highlighted that this lack of registration is not against the law, but efforts are underway to change this through the CIDB Amendment Bill to enhance compliance and enforcement of CIDB regulations.
Meanwhile, the South African Council for the Projects and Construction Management Professions is actively involved in determining whether the contractors involved were registered.
