Public Works & Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said the collapse of the Redcliffe building has revealed systemic failures in construction oversight and regulatory enforcement.
Speaking in Durban, Macpherson confirmed the site has been declared a crime scene and handed to the department of Employment & Labour.
“No approved building plans were submitted, no construction permits were issued, and the building may have been occupied prior to the issuance of an occupation certificate,” Macpherson said.
The collapse occurred on December 12 while concrete was being poured on the upper levels of the four‑storey structure under construction next to the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection in Redcliffe, north of Durban.
Preliminary analysis by the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) indicates that a formwork or shuttering failure during the pumping of wet concrete triggered abnormal dynamic loads on the floors below, leading to a rapid collapse.
Rescue teams reported that the concrete encountered on site appeared friable, or crumbly, and it will undergo forensic testing. Early visual assessments also identified misaligned structural elements and workmanship concerns.
Five deaths have been confirmed, and several other people were injured. Among the deceased are Vic Panday, founder of the temple; senior devotee Vasudev Datta Das; electrician Jayseelan Perumal; Kishore Hurribhujan, a local farmer; and an unidentified worker.
Authorities believe no one remains trapped under the rubble. Emergency personnel, police officers and disaster‑management teams worked under hazardous conditions to free those trapped and recover the deceased.
Macpherson said he had written to Police Minister Firoz Cachalia requesting that SAPS investigators with experience in the George building collapse be deployed to strengthen the probe.
He stressed that the purpose was not to replace local capacity but to reinforce it. “Where loss of life occurs as a result of possible negligence or unlawful conduct, there can be no room for delay, fragmentation, or uncertainty. Those responsible must be identified, and the law must take its course,” he said.
Macpherson further acknowledged systemic regulatory weaknesses, with responsibilities fragmented across departments and spheres of government. He said repeated collapses in eThekwini over the past decade point to governance failures that require a cabinet‑level review.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been briefed and expressed support for the measures taken. The CBE has recommended immediate precautionary steps, including detection of illegal building activity, mandatory notification by ready‑mix suppliers to municipal building control bodies, and a community campaign on statutory approvals.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the preliminary report would help to clarify the possible causes of the tragedy. “The report has effectively put an end to speculation,” he said. “We will continue to support the technical team investigating this matter to ensure the process is expedited. Those responsible will be held accountable to send a clear message that similar transgressions will be met with the full might of the law.
Macpherson said lessons from mine safety regimes could inform a zero‑tolerance approach in the building sector.
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