The George Municipality has spoken up about the details of the collapsed building, which claimed 34 lives last year.
The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements wants speedy action against officials at the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) found to be responsible for the collapse of the building in George.
Nicks Seabi, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee, said on Saturday, the 05 April 2025, “given the tragic loss of life and the seriousness of the lapses at the NHBRC, it is only fair that the process be expedited, to ensure finality of the process and accountability. The NHBRC plays a crucial role in protecting the interests of housing consumers and to ensure that builders comply with the prescribed building industry standards, as contained in the Home Building Manual..”
While police investigations are ongoing, the Municipality said although it has not received the NHBRC’s full report, statements already in the public domain, point to construction which commenced without the required NHBRC enrolment certificate for the 5-storey development.
In addition, the NHBRC has record of a single-storey structure.
The Municipality said its building inspectors are not involved in the process of registration, enrolment, and inspection, and that this is exclusively done by the NHBRC in collaboration with the developer and their appointed professional team.
The Municipality refuted claims of lack of cooperation, in meeting the NHBRC.
Furthermore, building plans for Erf 15098 George were included in a 2023/24 audit, conducted by the Auditor-General of South Africa, including plan approvals, compliance inspections, and the issuing of occupation certificates.
“No corrective actions were recommended.”
The Municipality said it does not have evidence that the construction commenced prior to approval of the building plan.
Details provided was of a pre-application for the rezoning of Erf 15098, submitted on 3 September 2020, followed by a revised pre-application submission, received on 23 November 2020, proposing a five-storey block of flats with a rooftop deck.
The rezoning application was submitted on 20 April 2021 and approval was granted on 01 October 2021. A site development plan was submitted on 21 April 2022 and approved on 25 May 2022.
The building plan, consisting of a basement, ground floor parking, and four residential floors (a total of five storeys), was submitted on 12 July 2022 and approved on 6 July 2023 after being deferred for corrections and additional information. This building plan corresponded with the approved site development plan.
“In accordance with Section A22, the engineer informed the Municipality on 29 June 2023 that they intend to commence with construction on 3 July 2023. The Municipality advised that the plans were not yet approved. Further enquiry was made on 6 July 2023 upon which it was confirmed that the plans were approved. Note that the National Building Regulations does not demand of the Municipality to verify that the owner has registered their project with the NHBRC prior to commencement. Compliance with the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act is the responsibility of the developer and is enforced by the NHBRC.”