Joburg storm damage probe flags concerns about substandard building materials

An investigation into how 1‚326 properties were damaged in a violent storm has flagged concerns about substandard building materials and a construction company and has seen three officials suspended by the City of Johannesburg.

The storm caused extensive damage when it struck the city on December 30‚ 2017‚ raising fears about seemingly poorly constructed homes.

Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba said on Thursday that the two-month-long probe was conducted by independent building construction engineers and a team of assessors and quantity surveyors.

“The investigation found that the damage caused to these properties was a result of excessive wind force and the severity of the storm‚” he said.

“However‚ the use of poor design and construction methods and substandard building materials in alterations or additions made to properties‚ such as those found in boundary walls put up by property owners‚ left some properties far more exposed to the storm. In addition to this‚ the investigation raised concerns around the registration of construction companies doing business within the area.”

During its investigation‚ the City’s Group Risk and Audit Services (GRAS) found that among the two developers responsible for housing construction in the affected areas‚ one appeared to not have been registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC). Not being registered is an offence punishable by a fine of R25‚000 or a one-year prison term on each charge.

“Attempts by the City to fully verify this matter with the NHBRC came to no avail. This is something which the NHBRC is yet to answer to‚” said Mashaba.

The probe also sought to scrutinise the city’s own processes to correct any internal weaknesses. “The Department of Development Planning has suspended three officials pending further investigation for refusing to co-operate with GRAS’ investigation of these internal processes‚” he said.

Among the identified internal weaknesses were: poor record keeping at the city’s Building Development Management (BDM); stand numbers were found to have different plan approval dates; incomplete files and applications for the approval of building plans.

“The city has committed to introducing measures to correct weaknesses within our operations which we hope will increase compliance. However‚ in taking the matter forward‚ over the next few weeks‚ I will again be visiting communities affected by this disaster‚ in order to bring these findings to those communities‚” said Mashaba.