Lonwabo Edwana

CASE UPDATE: Who is responsible for the residential building collapse in George that took the lives of 34 construction workers? This 5-storey development collapsed in less than 2 seconds precisely one year ago on the 6th of May 2024 while under construction in George, Western Cape. Rescue teams were at the scene for over a week to help survivors out of 6000 tonnes of rubble. The devastating collapse took the lives of 34 construction workers and injured 28 people. The residential development known as 75 Victoria was due to be completed in July 2024. Two-bedroom apartments for sale in this development were previously advertised at R1.7 million each. The National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) and SAPS have been conducting a forensic investigation since the day of the collapse. To date, it has only been concluded that the cause of this building’s collapse was non-compliance with regulatory building standards, safety violations, unqualified personnel, and registration irregularities. Moreover, they discovered problems with the approval process for construction plans throughout the project, as well as inaccurate statements from the construction company about what they could do and their overall capabilities. George Municipality also approved building plans while construction was already well underway. The Western Cape Government also initiated their own independent investigation, and the findings were completed in January 2025. To date, their final report has remained under wraps and is now sitting with SAPS. Unfortunately, the issues mentioned above relate more to administrative matters rather than to the actual reasons behind the building’s collapse. It’s a structural failure, and whose fault is that? We still require clarity on the cause of the collapse and who is ultimately responsible for it. Time will tell… Some survivors are still recovering from this devastating collapse, and many remain unemployed. I watched a few of their most recent interviews, and it’s a painful watch to see their slow recovery, rising medical bills and the effect it’s having on their families. One survivor remained trapped under the rubble for 118 hours before he was found. I hope the victims and their families get justice soon.

“Allegedly”SIU EXPANDS PROBE INTO LERUTLA CASE, TARGETS INFLUENCERS’ ASSETS The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has widened its forensic investigation into arrested Kagiso Lerutla. The expanded probe will now include several high-profile social media personalities, with the SIU seeking access to bank accounts and asset registries. Those named include, Thandeka Ngema, Sithelo Shozi, Honour Zuma Investigators are probing allegations that public funds from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality may have been diverted to acquire luxury assets registered in the names of third parties.