Simelane promises stricter measures for home builders after George building collapse

Human settlements minister Thembi Simelane has announced sweeping reforms and tougher regulations for home builders and developers after the collapse of the Neo Victoria residential building in George in the Western Cape last year.

The disaster claimed the lives of 34 people and left many others injured.

Briefing media on Wednesday, Simelane said the catastrophe exposed deep-seated failures in regulatory oversight and internal controls in the construction sector and the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC).

Her briefing coincided with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of the Housing Consumer Protection Act into law.

The act introduces stricter training, grading and registration requirements for developers and builders, with the goal of improving safety and accountability in the construction industry.

“Home builders and developers will be required to undergo more stringent training and grading before being registered with the NHBRC. Section 26 provides that a system and requirements will be prescribed for the registration of a home builder and a developer, proving a grade that reflects the level of competence.”

Simelane said the Neo Victoria tragedy highlighted the need for urgent reform.

Enrolment forms for the project were only processed on July 11 2023 — nearly a month after construction started on June 19.

NHBRC officials also failed to verify whether the contractor was registered to build a multistorey structure, despite clear indications on the plans.

“A contractor was allowed to proceed with the construction of a multistorey building without the proper enrolment process,” she said. “Even more disturbing was the unlawful use of other officials’ credentials to enrol the first phase of the project. This demonstrated the breakdown in NHBRC internal processes.”

Simelane raised concern about serious lapses in inspection protocols, including a delayed site visit and violations of health and safety standards.

“The inspection model carried out by NHBRC personnel on the project was marked by several lapses and failures that significantly compromised regulatory oversight. An initial inspection was conducted eight days after project enrolment, well beyond the five-day requirement.”

The investigation also revealed unqualified people were allowed to play critical roles in the project, including inspections.

“There were gaps in the competence of key personnel. This included unqualified personnel who lacked formal qualifications in engineering or quantity surveying. If you are not qualified you won't know what to inspect and that's one of the reasons which led to the problems that subsequently befell the George building.”

The report further revealed safety concerns were ignored, a safety consultant resigned and there was no clear framework for addressing occupational health and safety (OHS) violations on site.

“The inspection procedures lack clear guidelines for addressing OHS violations, leaving inspectors without the mandate to enforce safety compliance. This is one of our key takeaways on what we need to improve.”

Simelane also noted the technical manager in charge lacked the necessary qualifications and their credentials were not properly reviewed at the time of appointment.

She stressed that those who did not comply with the new legislation would face serious consequences as the government aimed to restore public trust and protect vulnerable housing consumers.

“We cannot afford to lose more lives due to preventable failures. Accountability is not optional. It is a requirement.”

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