Parliamentary committee hears about building collapse survivors’ struggles

GEORGE NEWS - Several officials of the George Department of Social Development (DSD) got a harsh talking to for their "arrogance" towards the survivors of the Victoria Street building collapse and the family members of the deceased, who have been in desperate need of trauma counselling and other means of support following the incident.

Officials of the DSD, the Department of Employment and Labour (Del) and the George Municipality were summoned to report to members of the national parliamentary Public Works Portfolio Committee (PC) at a meeting in the Thembalethu Community Hall on Thursday 20 November.

They had to explain how they had gone about addressing the plight of the surviving victims and the deceased's families, most of whom are foreign nationals.

The survivors and family members told the committee about their struggles with their applications to the Labour Department for UIF and Compensation Fund payouts.

Many of them lacked passports/IDs and South African bank accounts. No emotional support was provided either, as the trauma counselling and other aid reportedly ended almost as soon as the disaster site had been cleared.

After they had their opportunity to speak and the officials were called upon to respond, the meeting was concluded with a memorandum addressed to Parliament being handed over to the PC.

This document is an appeal to Parliament to fast-track compensation through the Compensation Fund. An appeal was also made for an investigation by the Minister of Social Development, Nokuzola Tolashe, into the "deep flaws in the system and to meet with the leaders [of the survivors and families] to discuss a more effective means of supporting the families".

Speaking on behalf of some of the foreign nationals, Blessed Gere highlighted that some of the families could not receive assistance from Labour because they were required to have a South African bank account or valid work permits/passports, which many lacked.

A plea to the president

The document includes a plea that the investigating authorities do not prematurely release their findings in the public domain, which would jeopardise the criminal case, and a request to President Cyril Ramaphosa "to fulfil his public promise of 16 May 2024 to provide interim financial and humanitarian support to the 62 victims and their families".

According to the memorandum, to date, only two victims have been partially assisted by the Labour Department through the Compensation Fund.

In response to the memorandum being read aloud by Chris Peterson, a family member of one of the deceased, the PC's chairperson, Carol Phiri, instructed the Labour Department to report back on the progress with the compensation claims within 30 days.

Phiri also ordered the DSD to urgently reach out to the local volunteers who have been assisting the survivors and families, to launch a programme of trauma counselling for them.

Photos of the victims who lost their lives were put up in the community hall. Among them was Lunga Sindelo. In an emotional outburst during the meeting, his mother, Fundiswa, pointed out a DSD official who she said had been rude and arrogant towards her and had chased her children away from the municipal hall where support and trauma counselling was being offered following the incident.

Phiri confirmed that the Labour Department's final investigation report had finally been submitted to the National Prosecuting Authority on Tuesday 18 November.

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