Government Launches New Building Safety Framework After Deadly Collapses in 3 Areas
- Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson launched a new national building safety framework at a summit in Ekurhuleni
- He vowed to close the gaps that allowed deadly construction collapses to happen across South Africa
- The framework follows a string of tragic building collapses in George, Ormonde and Redcliffe, with Macpherson confirming that accountability measures are already underway
- Briefly News spoke to construction expert P. Moodley on what can cause buildings to collapse
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GAUTENG, EKURHULENI - South Africa has lost too many lives to building collapses, and the government is now moving to make sure it does not happen again.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson launched the National Built Environment and Construction Safety Framework on Friday, 3 July 2026, at the Public and Infrastructure Summit in Modderfontein, Ekurhuleni.
The framework is built around one idea: that everyone in the construction chain must be held accountable, and that safety can no longer be an afterthought.
What the framework will change
The department will gazette new Council for the Built Environment regulations targeting structural safety, building compliance and certification standards.
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A Public Infrastructure Confidence Index was also launched at the summit to track stakeholders' trust in the country's public infrastructure over time.
Macpherson made it clear that the department's work goes beyond buildings and budgets. It is about making sure ordinary South Africans can access courts, police stations and public offices that are safe and fit for purpose.
Lessons from George, Ormonde and Redcliffe
Macpherson spoke about the building collapses that have haunted South Africa in recent years. The George disaster in 2024 killed 34 people and injured 28, and remains one of the worst construction tragedies the country has seen.
One engineer linked to the George collapse has since been found guilty of five legal contraventions and suspended, and Macpherson said he had pushed the National Prosecuting Authority to act on the results of a SAPS investigation into the matter.
Investigations into the Redcliffe and Ormonde collapses raised concerns about poor materials, poor workmanship, and missing building approvals and permits.
Both investigations are now complete, and the findings will be made public soon. Macpherson was firm that the outcomes must drive real change, not just produce more paperwork.
He said the problem partly comes down to responsibility being spread too thinly across too many bodies, with municipalities, government departments, and professional councils all playing a role but no one fully in charge. That needs to change.
Built in 96 hours
Macpherson also discussed what the department managed to pull off during the recent repatriation operation at Beitbridge.
A fully operational repatriation centre was built from scratch in just 96 hours on land that had been overgrown bush days earlier. He said it was exactly what public works should look like when urgency, capability and purpose come together.
Speaking to Briefly News writer Nerissa Naidoo, construction expert P. Moodley discussed the common causes:
"Building collapses are often caused by poor workmanship, low-quality materials or safety rules not being followed during construction. In many cases, these incidents could have been prevented with proper planning, supervision and quality control."
He went on to share:
"Using experienced contractors, following building regulations and inspecting the work at every stage can greatly reduce the risk of a collapse. Safety should always come before cutting costs or rushing a project."
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Source: Briefly News
