Echoes of the collapse: PTSD, loss, and the fight to rebuild

Update

GEORGE NEWS - Ivaldo Macamo (31), a plasterer rescued from the 75 Victoria Street ruins two days after the shocking implosion on 6 May 2024, is still plagued by symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

This over and above the challenge of adjusting to life as an amputee. Macamo's right leg had to be amputated below the knee due to the severity of the injuries he suffered when the building collapsed. His left ankle is also impaired.

George Herald visited Macamo at his tiny shack in All Brick, Thembalethu, last Friday.

The rainy winter weather had turned the winding path to his humble abode into a muddy mess that was tricky to navigate even with two healthy legs and a sturdy pair of boots.

Originally from Xai-Xai in Mozambique, Macamo spoke Tsonga and his girlfriend, Simahle, translated.

He said he was taking psycho-logical strain, experiencing frequent nightmares and intrusive thoughts, especially when it was quiet. Simahle added that her once kind and caring boyfriend had frequent unprovoked outbursts of anger these days, often going hand in hand with a period of withdrawal.

Macamo explained his silence was a function of his altruistic reluctance to burden others with his trauma.

Before the tragedy, Macamo was a breadwinner taking care of six people. He had been a plasterer for 11 years and had moved up to George from Cape Town to work on the ill-fated block of flats.

Now, unable to work or do many of the things he was able to do before, he says he feels like a child.

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Once he receives his workmen's compensation, Macamo is eager to start a small business selling chips or clothes. "Maybe if I stay busy, I might forget about the building," he said.

Reflecting on the fateful seconds that changed everything, Macamo said things happened very quickly. "I was surprised. I was working on the first floor, standing on some scaffolding. The next moment the floor gave way," he recalled.

Macamo lost five friends in the collapse; one of them died in front of him. He said trapped beneath the ruins, he felt hopeless, afraid and extremely thirsty.

Asked about the weeks leading up to the collapse, Macamo was candid about the cracks he saw in the building's pillars as well as the notably small size of the pillars themselves.

He said it was the talk of the site among the workers and, although they had allegedly reported these flaws to their superiors, he claimed they were never properly dealt with.

Macamo's startling assertions are in line with an article recently published by News24 that outlines the damning findings of a report compiled by Chavni Risk Advisory and Forensic Services on behalf of the National Home Builders Registration Council.

According to the article, warnings of structural defects were ignored and cracks were intentionally concealed and not adequately addressed.

In the meantime, all Macamo wants is an opportunity to ask the people from the company why they have not yet come to see the survivors to check up on them and find out what they are struggling with and what they need.

Asked about his specific needs, Macamo's answer was simple: "I need help with money for food."

Since the building disaster, Ivaldo Malamo has been experiencing the debilitating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).