George Building Collapse: Developer Slams Allegations That Company Not Registered With CIDB

• The Minister of Public Works, Sihle Zikalala, revealed that the main contractor for the George building that collapsed was allegedly unregistered
• He claimed that it was not registered with the Construction Industry Development Board because of a loophole in the system
• Liatel's director, Theuns Kruger, told Briefly News that the allegations were unfounded and untrue
• South Africans were stunned by the revelation, and some called for legal action against the main contractor

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered accidents, outbreaks, nature and natural disaster-related incidents at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for seven years.

WESTERN CAPE – The Minister of Public Works, Sihle Zikalala, revealed that the main contractor for the building that collapsed in George, Western Cape, was allegedly not registered with the Construction Industry Development Board.

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Main contractor unregistered because of a "loophole"

According to News24, Zikalala said the company was allegedly unregistered because the current loophole in the legislation affects only the private sector clients. Zikalala added that Liatel did not have to register with the CIDB because it operates in the private sector.

Zikalala pointed out that the government is advocating for legislation that will compel private-sector contractors to be assessed similarly to those operating in the public sector.

Liatel responds to the allegations

Theuns Kruger, Liatel's director, told Briefly News that the company is cooperating with the investigations into the building's collapse.

"The facts surrounding the disaster are being disseminated by the authorities, and we will not be drawn into speculative arguments with the media. The support given by Liatel and the cooperation has not received media attention, and factual inaccuracies have been reported unchecked," he said.

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"Our position remains firmly to continue with our on-the-ground support and cooperation with the authorities."

CIDB confirms Liatel is not registered

CIDB spokesperson Theresa Mtshali told Briefly News that Liatel is not registered with the CIDB.

"The law does not require contractors to be registered with the CIDB to carry out private sector construction projects," she said.

What you need to know about the George building collapse

• Neo Trend ICE Project was allegedly behind the ill-fated construction of the apartment block
• Thulas Nxesi, the Minister of Labour and Employment, called for workers' safety to be prioritised
• A worker survived 118 hours of being trapped in the rubble after the building collapsed

Netizens ask questions

South Africans commenting on @Ludidivelani's tweet had questions about the allegations Zikalala made.

IVoteANC said:

"If this had happened in an ANC-governed area, we would be hearing about how bad the ANC is and how cadre deployment has messed up everything. We are learning that due process was ignored, but there is no outrage from Woke Twitter."

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South Africans in dismay as George building collapse death toll rises to 30

Vuka asked:

"Where are the graphs, faces, money trails that we were accustomed to when Zuma was the president?"

Lady Fara said:

"Makes sense now why they were playing hide-and seek when asked who the developer was."

George building collapse death toll rises to 32

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that the death toll for the tragedy in George increased to 32.

More dead bodies were recovered under the rubble, and South Africans were devastated.

Source: Briefly News