The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) extends its deepest condolences to all the families and individuals affected by the collapse of a 5-story building in Victoria Street, George, on Monday, 6 May.
“Our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones, the injured, and those still unaccounted for. We stand in solidarity with the broader community during this challenging time,” says Sekadi Phayane-Shakhane, CEO of SAICE.
She adds: “At the time of this statement, our hearts weigh heavy with the news of five confirmed fatalities, 25 injured individuals rescued from the rubble, and a further 49 persons unaccounted for. We commend the relentless efforts of all involved in the emergency response, including disaster management teams, local and regional authorities, and volunteers, who are working tirelessly in the search and rescue operations.”
Werner Jerling, Vice President at SAICE, emphasizes: "First, we add our voice of thanks and support to the dedicated members of the search and rescue and emergency response teams currently involved in the search and rescue attempt. However, in the immediate aftermath of such a tragic incident, it would be unfair and indeed insensitive to speculate as to the causes of the incident.”
SAICE appeals to the broader community to allow time for those involved in the investigations to find out what went wrong. Presumptions in regard to the reasoning for the catastrophe may lead to vicious rumours that directly impact the livelihoods and well-being of many others in the construction industry that may have been involved in this project.
A construction project of this nature is a complex process; taking the skills and initiatives of many different role players that all have their own responsibility to ensure that the programme, designs, materials, construction processes, and so on, are all done effectively for the intended purpose and end result.
A large web of people are employed to bring such a project together, and it will take due diligence and careful investigation to establish what caused this failure and take the steps necessary to ensure it doesn’t happen again. SAICE believes that the construction industry needs to collectively seek the right answers to ensure that the issues are effectively addressed.
SAICE reaffirms its commitment to supporting comprehensive investigations into the collapse, and calls for transparency in sharing findings to prevent similar incidents in the future.
