GOOD Statement by Chantelle Kyd,
GOOD George Councillor and MMC for Planning and Development
22 May 2025
The George Municipal Manager, Godfrey Louw, has officially received the technical report commissioned by the Municipality following the deadly building collapse on Victoria Street last year. As the GOOD Party, we call for this report to be tabled without delay at the next full Council meeting on Thursday, 29 May 2025.
This report is a critical piece of the puzzle in the pursuit of truth, accountability, and justice for the 34 lives lost and many others injured. The report was commissioned under the previous Municipal Manager, Michele Gratz, and initiated through a Council resolution in December 2024. Engineering Design Services (EDS), a Pretoria-based structural engineering firm, was appointed to lead the technical investigation, including on-site inspections during the clearing of the site.
In parallel, the municipal panel of attorneys was briefed to provide legal opinion on regulatory compliance and the scope of municipal liability, as guided by the National Building Regulations and Standards Act.
Both these reports, the technical and the legal, are vital. They must be read together, in full, and in public. Our community has waited long enough.
At the Standing Committee on Infrastructure meeting on 2 May 2025, Mayor Jackie von Brandis committed that once the technical report was received it would be shared with the committee. As GOOD we urge the Mayor to show the local council the same courtesy. There is no justifiable reason to keep it behind closed doors.
We owe it to the victims, the survivors, and the entire George community to ensure that justice is neither delayed nor denied.
This cannot be allowed to continue in the same vain as the previous reports that have led to no tangible consequences.
• The Western Cape Government commissioned an independent investigation. While the findings were completed in January 2025, the final report remains undisclosed.
• In February 2025, the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) completed its investigation, which uncovered serious failings by the construction company, including:
o The failure to declare its intention to construct a multi-story building,
o Multiple breaches of Occupational Health and Safety standards, and
o Gaps in the competency of key personnel involved in the project.
o Despite the suspension of 5 NHBRC officials, no long-term action has followed and there has been no visible action against the development company.
The lives lost demand more than memorials, they demand meaningful, visible accountability. This report must mark a turning point, not another missed opportunity.
Media Enquiries:media@forggod.org.za