Johannesburg Building Collapse: Death Toll Rises As Investigations Continue

• The death toll for the victims who lost their lives during the deadly building collapse in Ormonde, Johannesburg, has increased
• The City of Johannesburg continued its investigation into the collapse and found irregularities in the planning
• President Cyril Ramaphosa has weighed in on the collapse, as one person is still missing

For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, South Africa, covered a range of topics, including accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather, and natural disaster-related incidents, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG, GAUTENG — The City of Johannesburg has revealed that the planning of the building, which collapsed in Ormonde, Johannesburg, on 2 March 2026, was not approved. The death toll has also risen to eight.

According to Jacaranda FM, Johannesburg City Manager Floyd Brink spoke at the building site on the evening of 2 March. He said that there was no evidence that the building plans were approved. Brink added that the City of Johannesburg’s engineers are on site to investigate the structural integrity of the building.

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Brink confirmed that six were transported to the hospital and pointed out that action will be taken against those who are responsible for the building’s collapse. He pointed out that the contractors and engineers cannot be accounted for, and the City of Johannesburg cannot reach them.

President Cyril Ramaphosa weighs in

In a statement posted on the Presidency’s @PresidencyZA X account on 2 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa said his thoughts go out to survivors, some of whom are still trapped in the rubble of the business park premises.

The Presidency added that Ramaphosa expects that an inquiry into the collapse will provide answers to the families of the deceased, and to survivors, and that such an inquiry will help prevent a recurrence of a tragedy such as the Ormonde building collapse.

View the tweet on X here:

SAFTU devastated by building collapse

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi commented on the collapsed building. He posted a statement from SAFTU on his @Zwelinzima1 X account on 3 March. He said that the tragedy is not an isolated incident but reflects a deeper crisis in South Africa's construction sector, which is characterised by cost-cutting, weak enforcement of occupational health and safety standards, subcontracting chains designed to evade accountability, and a failure by regulatory authorities to conduct consistent inspections.

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Vavi also slammed allegations that many of the victims were undocumented.

"Workers, regardless of origin, are entitled to safe working conditions, legal protection, and human dignity. Employers who exploit undocumented labour to evade labour laws and safety standards must be held accountable," he observed.

Read the full statement on X here:

3 Briefly News stories about collapsed buildings

• A total of 22 workers were rescued after a building collapsed in George, Western Cape, in May 2024. The five-storey building, which was under construction, collapsed and resulted in scores of deaths.
• Three people died when a building in Soweto, Johannesburg, collapsed on 28 December 2025. The cause of the building's collapse is unknown.
• Four people were injured after a transformer exploded in Doornfontein, Johannesburg, in February 2026. The explosion caused a building to collapse.

Source: Briefly News