George building contractor 'not registered with construction body'
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala says the contractor responsible for the building which collapsed in George is not registered with the Construction Industry Development Board.
The disaster has killed at least 30 construction workers, while leaving 29 others injured and 22 unaccounted for.
The cause of the collapse is not yet known.
Zikalala visited the site on Monday, exactly a week after the cave-in, with delegation from the CIDB, Council for the Built Environment (CBE), and other experts.
"It has been established the main contractor (Liatel Construction) is not registered with the Construction Industry Development Board as it is not a requirement in terms of the current regulations for contractors that are executing projects for the private sector clients.
"In current legislation, the contractors working in the private sector do not undergo similar assessments as those operating in the public sector under the CIDB Register of Contractors, the current CIDB Amendment Bill is an attempt at closing this gap."
Zikalala said the Engineering Council of South Africa previously received two complaints against one of the people involved in the project.
"One in 2019 which was investigated and dismissed and a subsequent one in December 2023 that is still going through the Improper Conduct process," he added.
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