Minister Dean Macpherson: Outcomes on preliminary investigation into Ethekwini Building collapse

Thank you for joining us here this morning.

We are gathered here today under deeply painful circumstances.

The collapse of a multi-storey building in Redcliffe, North of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday afternoon has caused immense heartbreak and tragedy, particularly at this time of year.

As I said during my site visit on Saturday, on behalf of the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure, I wish to once again express my deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones in the Redcliffe collapse.

We will continue to work closely with all spheres of government and relevant stakeholders to support those who have been injured and all those affected by this tragedy.

I want to pay tribute to our brave rescuers, emergency personnel and police officers who have worked bravely and understand dangerous conditions to free those who were trapped, and return those who were deceased back to their families.

I want to commend the Province of KwaZulu-Natal and eThekwini Municipality for the disaster management coordination shown in this tragedy.

We also want to express our gratitude to the Western Cape Provincial Government for allocating resources to support the recovery effort.

We must also acknowledge the trauma experienced by survivors, workers, congregants, and community members, thank our teams for the professionalism, dedication, and compassion they have shown since last Friday.

At the time of the latest formal operational update provided to government, five fatalities had been confirmed, with a number of additional people injured.

We do not believe there are any further people trapped in the rubble of the collapse.

We again extend our deepest condolences to the families affected, and we wish all those injured a speedy and full recovery.

Preliminary findings

At this stage, it is important to emphasise that the findings I am about to share are preliminary in nature and are based on an initial expert assessment conducted by the Council for the Built Environment, working alongside relevant provincial and municipal authorities.

The Council's CEO, Dr Msizi Myeza, who joins us here today, will later further unpack these preliminary findings and the legislative framework that the CBE operates under in moments such as this.

However, allow me to highlight some of the key issues that have emerged thus far.

Based on the information available at this point, the structure involved was a reinforced concrete multi-storey building under construction, comprising concrete columns, flat slabs, and masonry walls.

The collapse occurred while concrete was being poured, with reports indicating that work was underway on the upper levels of the building at the time of the incident.

Preliminary evidence, including available video footage, points to a sudden structural failure, most likely triggered by a formwork or shuttering failure during the pumping of wet concrete.

Such a failure can impose significant and abnormal dynamic loads on the floors below - loads that no building is structurally designed to withstand - resulting in a rapid and progressive collapse.

Early visual assessments have also raised serious concerns regarding the quality of construction, including indications of misaligned structural elements and potentially substandard materials.

Rescue personnel further reported that the concrete encountered on site appeared friable, which will require further forensic testing as part of the investigation.

Of particular concern are preliminary indications from the relevant authorities that no approved building plans were submitted, that no construction permits were issued, and that the building may have been occupied prior to the issuance of an occupation certificate, all of which would constitute serious contraventions of the National Building Regulations and Standards.

In the absence of these submissions, the relevant authorities were deprived of the opportunity to inspect, monitor, or intervene during construction.

The site has now been formally classified as a crime scene, and will be handed over to the Department of Employment and Labour to continue with statutory investigations alongside other authorities.

These preliminary findings underscore the seriousness of this incident and the importance of a thorough, coordinated investigation to establish exactly what went wrong, who is responsible, and how similar tragedies can be prevented in future.

The final determination of the precise failure mechanism will be made through the detailed forensic investigation, as multiple potential contributing factors remain under examination.

However, it is already clear from the preliminary findings that serious lapses occurred in the construction of this building, and these lapses will require full investigation and accountability.

As I said on Saturday, we can never normalise the collapse of buildings in South Africa. It is abnormal and we must respond with the urgency that this disaster requires.

There are models for us to learn from, especially in the mining environment which has driven a zero-tolerance approach to mine safety.

We should be striving for the same in the built environment.

Request for SAPS involvement

Ladies and gentlemen,

Given the seriousness of the preliminary findings, the loss of life, and the clear indications of potential criminality, we have taken steps to ensure that the criminal investigation into this collapse is thorough, coordinated, and informed by prior experience.

On Sunday afternoon, I formally wrote to the Minister of Police, Minister Cachalia, to request his assistance in facilitating inter-provincial cooperation within the South African Police Service in relation to this investigation.

Specifically, I requested that the SAPS investigative team from the Western Cape, which previously led the complex investigation into the George Building collapse, be made available, where appropriate, to support and collaborate with the KwaZulu-Natal SAPS team responsible for the eThekwini investigation.

The purpose of this request is not to replace local investigative capacity, but to strengthen it - by drawing on experience gained in a similar tragedy, particularly in navigating the technical, evidentiary, and regulatory complexities that arise in cases of major structural failure.

My department, together with the Council for the Built Environment, is leading the technical investigation into the collapse and stands ready to support SAPS in any manner required to ensure accountability, justice for affected families, and the prevention of similar incidents in the future.

Where loss of life occurs as a result of possible negligence or unlawful conduct, there can be no room for delay, fragmentation, or uncertainty.

Those responsible must be identified, and the law must take its course.

The CBE has recommended three immediate steps to be taken as a precautionary measure which I fully support, namely:

1. Detecting illegal building activities in municipalities across the country
2. Requiring ready-mix concrete providers to notify building control bodies wherever large volumes of concrete are delivered to construction sites across the country to ensure they are known to municipalities,
3. Launching a community-based campaign on the importance of building approvals and relevant statutory processes as part of public safety.

Presidential support

In this regard, I would like to confirm that, since being alerted to this tragedy, I have continually briefed the President of the Republic of South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa, on the building collapse and the tragic loss of life that has resulted from this incident.

The President was deeply concerned and troubled by this incident, especially for the victims, their families, and all those who have been injured and affected.

He has further received the preliminary investigation report and has expressed his full support for the actions taken to date, including the steps to strengthen the criminal investigation, the technical oversight processes now underway, and the coordinated response across the different spheres of government.

This support underscores the seriousness with which this matter is being treated at the highest level of government and the collective commitment to ensuring that justice is done for the affected families and communities.

Built-environment regulation

The steps I have outlined - including strengthening the criminal investigation, securing technical oversight, and briefing the President - are necessary and appropriate responses to this tragedy.

However, incidents such as the eThekwini collapse compel us to look beyond individual acts or failures, and to confront the systemic conditions that allow such tragedies to occur in the first place.

While the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure is the custodian of the built environment at a national level, both this incident and the George Building collapse have again exposed a fundamental challenge in how the built environment is regulated in South Africa.

Responsibility for different aspects of building control, workplace safety, professional regulation, and enforcement is spread across multiple departments and spheres of government.

When these systems do not operate in a fully coordinated manner, gaps emerge in oversight, compliance, and accountability - particularly where unlawful construction occurs or where buildings are occupied without approval.

The preliminary report further notes a troubling pattern of serious structural collapses within the eThekwini Metropolitan area over more than a decade, reinforcing the need to examine whether systemic and governance failures are contributing to repeated loss of life.

This is not a matter that can be addressed by any single department acting alone.

It is an issue that requires Cabinet-level consideration, informed by the outcomes of this investigation, to determine whether stronger coordination mechanisms, clearer lines of responsibility, or regulatory reforms are required.

As national government, we have a responsibility to ensure that the regulation of the built environment places public safety first, and that the lessons drawn from this tragedy lead to meaningful improvements in how we prevent, detect, and respond to unlawful or unsafe construction.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen,

As I conclude, and as this investigation continues, our focus remains clear and unwavering: to support affected families and communities, to ensure full accountability, and to prevent a tragedy of this nature from ever occurring again.

The technical, criminal, and labour-related investigations now underway will proceed without interference.

My department, through the Council for the Built Environment, will continue to work closely with law-enforcement authorities and all relevant departments to ensure that every responsible party is identified and held to account.

Once investigations are concluded, we will communicate the outcomes transparently to the public, as we have done in the case of the George Building collapse, while ensuring that criminal proceedings are not compromised.

Before I conclude, I want to formally acknowledge and thank the disaster-management teams, emergency services, and first responders who have worked tirelessly under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions since Friday.

In particular, I would like to thank Mr Mzwandile Hadebe, the Acting Head of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Disaster Management Centre, and his team, for their leadership, coordination, and professionalism throughout this response.

I want to also thank the Provincial of KwaZulu-Natal through MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi and MEC Martin Meyer for their support and response during this disaster.

I would like to also acknowledge the support of the eThekwini Municipality through the Mayor, Cyril Xaba, for response they have led during this time.

Their work has been critical in managing this tragedy with care, discipline, and respect for human life.

I would therefore now like to invite the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Public Works & Infrastructure, Martin Meyer, to brief you on the current status of operations and the support measures being implemented for affected families and the broader community.

Thank you.

Enquiries:

James De Villiers Spokesperson to the Minister
E-mail: [email protected]
Cell: 082 766 0276

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