Second anniversary of SA’s deadliest construction disaster

Update

GEORGE NEWS - To mark the second anniversary of the 75 Victoria Street building collapse, Rev Pete Veysie of the George Methodist Church will facilitate a prayer session at the site at 13:00 on Wednesday 6 May.

The service is open to all and will end at 14:09 with a moment of silence in memory of the 34 lives lost and to help with healing for the 28 survivors and their families.

The in-progress five-storey Neo Victoria apartment complex, very near completion, came crashing down in less than five seconds at 14:09 on Monday 6 May 2024.

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In an instant, 62 construction workers were buried under 6 000 tonnes of concrete. Some of the survivors suffered permanent injuries. Most were breadwinners in their 30s - in the prime of their lives.

For 11 days, more than 140 rescue workers and medical staff, sniffer dogs and 1 200 volunteers were deployed on site from all over South Africa in what has been dubbed as one of the country’s most complex rescue missions following a man-made disaster.

The South African Police Service has completed the criminal inquest and the dockets are now with the National Prosecuting Authority. This includes evidence from investigations conducted by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL), the Engineering Council of South Africa, the Council for the Built Environment, the National Homebuilders Registration Council, George Municipality and the Western Cape Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

According to Garden Route Disaster Management, the victims consisted of 20 Mozambicans, 15 South Africans, 13 Malawians, 10 Zimbabweans and 4 Lesothoans.

The survivor who sustained the most severe physical injuries was Shadrack Maine, a Lesotho national, whose left arm and leg were amputated. Gabriel Guamba, a South African, miraculously endured 118 hours trapped - physically unscathed but deeply traumatised.

Ivaldo Macao, a Mozambican national, had his right leg amputated below the knee. Elelwani Mawela of Limpopo requires major maxillofacial reconstruction.

One of the survivors, Delvin Safers, an electrician from Mossel Bay, has written a book about his 28-hour ordeal during which he was able to maintain cellphone contact with his family.

Dean Macpherson, the National Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, reached out to the victims and families at the first anniversary on 6 May last year and met with them privately on 19 July.

Two years later after the tragedy, the survivors and families of the deceased continue to battle a mountain of red tape to access workman’s compensation from the DEL and to receive meaningful support from the Department of Social Development. According to law, all workers (whether documented or undocumented) who suffered injury or died on duty qualify for labour compensation.

In lieu of flowers, cash donations will mean much more to the 62 families. These can be paid with the reference ‘Building Collapse Victims’ to:

• the Rotary Club of George - Nedbank, account number 900 649 6213

• Love Garden Route - Standard Bank, account number 1011 022 5528.

Six of the 34 who did not survive the building collapse. Top: Lunga Sindelo, Florence Kawonga and Andile Magxwalisa. Bottom: Charles Thangalimodzi, Zakhele Ntente and Ireen Nyirongoi.