By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has indicated the possibility of establishing a commission of inquiry into the George building collapse.
Thirty-three people died in May when a near-complete apartment block caved in on the more than 60 workers on site.
Several investigations by the South African Police Services (Saps) and the Department of Employment and Labour are underway.
Responding to a debate on his opening of the Western Cape legislature address on Thursday, Winde indicated that he would establish a commission of inquiry if necessary.
“I do have that power within the Constitution. But I first must give the South African Police Services the space to do and complete their investigation. We are still waiting for that investigation.
I must give the Department of Labour the space to finish their investigations. They actually have a very serious role to play in this space of making sure that the rules are adhered to, especially on building sites et cetera.
“We also know that I have asked this province, specifically the Department of Infrastructure, to do another investigation,” he said.
The premier confirmed that the provincial department received a preliminary report last week.
They are busy working through that report, and they will bring it more than likely to our next cabinet meeting.
“That surely would help us to [give an indication whether] we have got sufficient [evidence] to lay charges [and] to do whatever we need to do.
“As I said yesterday, those who are complicit in the cause of this devastating collapse need to be brought to book. They need to be held to account.”
He said the provincial government was still providing support to the families of the victims of the George building collapse.
He added that he would call for a commission of inquiry if the investigations under way were not satisfactory.
Meanwhile, the legal team for Neo Victoria Developments, Neotrend Developments and East Africa Development have remained mum on the reported resignation of three directors. The companies are the landowners and company for development co-ordination and management. This comes after reports that the directors of the companies resigned following the building collapse.
The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) recently placed a registered person on precautionary suspension and had called on all affected stakeholders to submit reports to assist in their further investigations. ECSA said it would respond to questions in due course.