Minister Macpherson vows to reform building regulations after Verulam construction collapse

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson has expressed frustration following the tragic structural collapse at an illegal construction site in Verulam on Saturday, which has claimed the lives of four people.

The collapse occurred on Friday at a four-storey structure at the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection at the River Range Ranch in Redcliffe.

The minister, speaking after a site visit to the scene of the tragedy on Saturday, declared himself "tired of hearing of people dying in building collapses" and promised a swift and comprehensive overhaul of the country's building compliance regulations to end the current fragmentation that allows such disasters to occur.

"What strikes me is that more people have died. People are not supposed to die on construction sites," Macpherson told reporters as search and rescue operations entered their second day.

"Buildings are supposed to stand tall and be monuments to engineering excellence. This obviously is the very opposite of that. And so I'm tired of hearing of people dying in building collapses," said Macpherson.

The collapse initially trapped a number of construction workers. While five people were successfully rescued hours after the incident and a further eight were treated for mild to moderate injuries, the grim work of recovering the dead continues.

Macpherson confirmed four fatalities, with the search still under way for individuals who might be trapped.

The eThekwini Municipality has confirmed that the structure was illegal, stating that preliminary reports indicated no approved plans existed for the four-storey building.

Reports also indicate that Vick Panday, the founder of the temple, was believed to be among those trapped under the debris, though his status has not been officially confirmed by authorities.

During his visit, Macpherson was accompanied by KZN Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi and eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba.

The minister noted the significant scale of the collapse. After visiting the site, he said it was "striking to see the amount of steel and concrete on that site, and the efforts of the teams to reach those trapped under the rubble." 

Rescue efforts are being led by a multidisciplinary team, including units from eThekwini Search and Rescue, SAPS Search and Rescue, the KZN and National Disaster Management Centres, and even the Western Cape Search and Rescue team, which brought two dogs with extensive experience from the George building collapse last year.

Macpherson stressed that the immediate focus remains on the rescue operation, with his department refusing to speculate on the cause of the collapse at this stage.

However, he confirmed that the Council for the Built Environment is set to lead the official investigation once the rescue phase is complete, noting that experts are already on the ground.

Beyond the immediate crisis, Macpherson used the opportunity to address systemic failures in the built environment. He pointed to a departmental report that made a number of recommendations for legislative and regulatory changes.

"Fragmentation is one of the biggest problems found in the built environment where the municipalities, building regulators, and Public Works each operate under a different set of regulations," he explained. "There's no synergy or common objective to those regulations. And I think it is absolutely critical that we need to deal with that as soon as possible."

He advocated for a central role for Public Works and Infrastructure in standardising compliance across the country.

"We need to work really hard to end that fragmentation because in that fragmentation is where gaps exist and where people are able to take opportunities," he said. The Minister vowed that his department is committed to expediting the legislative process to achieve this change.

He drew a sharp contrast between the construction industry and the mining sector regarding safety.

"The building industry has to catch up to the safety and zero tolerance approach to injuries and death in the mining industry," Macpherson asserted. "We are working in as dangerous conditions as the mining industry and the safety, compliance, and regulatory standards don't seem to be there."

MEC Buthelezi appealed to the distraught families to exercise patience with the rescue teams.

"We do have hope that if there is a chance that someone is still alive, then we need to use all our efforts and energy to rescue that person," he said, assuring them that rescue teams will remain on site until it is cleared.

Mayor Xaba, who met with the families earlier in the day, echoed the need for patience.

He noted that while the site has been handed over to rescue teams, investigations have been initiated "on the periphery" in the meantime.

The minister called on the mayor and MEC to "go on the offensive" to ensure that such an incident, fuelled by non-compliance and regulatory gaps, "does not happen again".

karen.singh@inl.co.za