By Johnathan Paoli
The final report by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) forensic investigation into the George building collapse has exposed systemic failures, non-compliance, and negligence across multiple levels, from the construction company to municipal authorities and NHBRC personnel.
Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane released the report into the collapse of the Neo Victoria residential building in George in May 2024, which claimed 34 lives.
The investigation uncovered a chain of regulatory failures, technical negligence, and oversight breakdowns that contributed to the tragedy.
Key findings included fraudulent home-builder certification, irregular project enrollment, inspection lapses, occupational health and safety (OHS) violations, unqualified site staff, and flawed engineering and soil assessments.
Speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday, Simelane described the collapse as both “historic and horrific,” saying it had forever altered the lives of those affected.
“As a caring government, we want to assure the families and friends of the workers who perished in this tragic and avoidable incident that their lives were not lost in vain,” Simelane said.
The construction company responsible for the Neo Victoria project misrepresented its capabilities during the NHBRC registration process.
Crucially, it failed to declare its intention to build a multi-storey structure, violating NHBRC policy, enabling the company to bypass more stringent technical scrutiny.
Despite construction starting on 19 June 2023, the project was only formally enrolled with the NHBRC on 11 July, nearly a month later.
Even more troubling, enrollment forms were submitted using credentials belonging to another NHBRC official, raising serious concerns about internal control failures.
NHBRC inspectors failed to adhere to their own five-day inspection protocol.
The minister said the first site inspection took place eight working days after enrollment and included false reports on units not yet built.
She said these discrepancies point to negligent and possibly dishonest behaviour by NHBRC personnel.
The site was found to have multiple OHS breaches, including the resignation of the safety consultant and a general lack of enforceable safety procedures.
NHBRC’s inspection protocols were found inadequate for ensuring compliance with safety standards.
Unqualified individuals, lacking formal engineering or quantity surveying qualifications—were allowed to perform critical roles.
Additionally, the appointed technical manager’s credentials were never fully reassessed, contributing to significant construction errors.
The geotechnical report lacked essential data, such as soil test results and geological mapping, which are vital for safe foundation design.
Furthermore, the George Municipality approved building plans after construction had already commenced, a clear violation of regulatory procedure.
The report recommends sweeping reforms within NHBRC, including clear certification limitations based on project scale, peer review teams for high-risk projects, mandatory skills audits and vetting of inspectors and technical managers, and onsite presence of qualified technical managers during critical stages of construction.
Simelane confirmed that implicated NHBRC officials have been suspended and that the report has been handed over to law enforcement agencies.
Charges including misconduct, negligence, and falsification of records are expected.
In response to the findings, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Housing Consumer Protection Act into law, modernising the regulation of the home-building sector and introduces significant penalties.
The legislation introduces personal liability for home-builder directors and up to R1.5 million in administrative fines or 10 years’ imprisonment for violations.
It establishes mandatory registration and grading of homebuilders and inspectors and creates provisions for whistle-blowing and stricter enforcement of OHS regulations.
Simelane said the Act empowers the NHBRC to take immediate action if a project begins construction without enrollment and mandates that inspectors meet stringent qualification criteria.
The minister emphasised that her department is also reviewing other building collapses across the country, promising further investigations and enforcement.
She urged the broader construction industry to comply with the new regulatory framework.
“The law only works when it’s enforced. We shall do our part, but we cannot succeed alone,” Simelane said.
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