City of Johannesburg divisional chief for Emergency Management Services (EMS) Freddy Morukhu said the two-storey building in Ormonde would have collapsed anytime.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
City of Johannesburg divisional chief for Emergency Management Services (EMS) Freddy Morukhu said the two-storey building in Ormonde that collapsed on Monday, killing nine people, was not properly built and could have fallen at any time.
Morukhu made the remarks on the sidelines of an inspection led by Deputy Labour Minister Jomo Sibiya.
Nine bodies have now been recovered following the resumption of search-and-rescue operations on Tuesday morning, bringing the death toll to nine.
Operations were suspended on Monday night after six people were confirmed dead.
Two workers remained trapped under the rubble on Monday, while one person was initially reported missing. All were later found deceased.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon.
Morukhu said emergency services received a call reporting a structural collapse in the area.
“The City of Johannesburg activated the special team that deals with structural collapses and rescue-related incidents. We mobilised the team to conduct an assessment,” he said.
During the assessment, two bodies were visible from outside the building, prompting officials to deploy additional rescue teams.
“We could hear people screaming from inside, which indicated there was still life in the structure,” Morukhu said.
Rescue teams prioritised those believed to be alive.
“We rescued three people alive yesterday and transported them to hospital. Thereafter, we began recovering those who had passed on,” he said.
Six bodies were recovered by 11pm on Monday before operations were halted due to safety concerns and darkness.
“The building was extremely unsafe. Because of the risks and nightfall, we suspended operations and resumed at 6am,” he said.
On Tuesday morning, three additional bodies were recovered.
“All the bodies have now been accounted for,” Morukhu said.
He described the recovery operation as technically challenging.
“The structure was unstable. Concrete slabs and steel were scattered everywhere. We had to stabilise the building before entering. To remove victims, we had to breach concrete using pneumatic cutting tools,” he said.
He added that cutting through the large slabs proved difficult due to the condition of the debris-filled site.
“Everything was loose and hanging. It was a very risky situation. However, through the expertise of our team, we managed to stabilise the structure and complete the operation.”
Morukhu said that based on his experience, the collapse appeared inevitable.
“The manner in which it collapsed shows it was not going to be sustained for long. Even if it had not happened yesterday, it was likely to happen at some point,” he said.
Family members of the deceased gathered at the site following the tragedy.
Meanwhile, Sibiya attributed the collapse to non-compliance with regulations.
He was joined at the site by Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero.
“What we see here is not what we should be seeing if everyone took compliance seriously. If we complied with all established laws - including labour laws - we would not be in this situation,” Sibiya said.
He said preliminary briefings from the city and the department had identified concerns regarding the building.
“There are issues of concern that we have identified, and we will be investigating further,” he said.
The City of Johannesburg will now hand the site over to the South African Police Service (SAPS), which will conduct its own investigation before transferring it to the Department of Labour for a formal probe.
Sibiya said the investigation would begin under Section 31 and aim to determine the cause of the collapse.
Officials from the city and other departments will assist, but the Department of Labour - as custodian of occupational health and safety - will lead the process.
A team from the Compensation Fund has also been deployed to assist affected families.
“We have brought a team from the Compensation Fund to ensure that all matters relating to social security are addressed,” Sibiya said.
He confirmed that the main contractor was registered with the relevant authorities, while two subcontractors were registered with the department and the Compensation Fund.
“That will assist families in accessing compensation where it is due,” he said.
Some of the deceased were foreign nationals, including individuals believed to be from Lesotho.
Sibiya said the tragedy underscored the need for stricter enforcement of regulations nationwide.
“We have seen similar incidents in George, Durban, Verulam and Tongaat. Recently, inspections in Ekurhuleni uncovered the use of a fraudulent construction permit. Here, we are told approved plans were not submitted to the municipality,” he said.
“It is an issue of compliance. If we fail to comply with established laws, we put workers and communities at risk. That is why we find ourselves in this unfortunate situation today.”
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
IOL News