The City of Johannesburg has confirmed that the collapsed building in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg, where eight people died, will be demolished.
During a site visit on Tuesday, Executive Mayor Dada Morero said the structure had been erected without approved building plans, violating municipal by-laws and building regulations. He was accompanied by several Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs).
Morero added that the city is working to identify those responsible. “We are taking steps as the City, as we have a responsibility to act as and when such things happen. Part of the work is to ensure we can establish the owners of the company, then we can act on those,” he said.
An independent investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the collapse. “It has now been confirmed that the building is not structurally sound. There will be an official inquiry and follow-up on everything in this building,” Morero said.
The city will also open a formal case against the building’s owners and the construction company involved.
The death toll rose to eight after two additional bodies were recovered on Tuesday morning. Rescue teams located the victims within concrete slabs. Six fatalities had been confirmed on Monday. Three people remain hospitalised, and one person is still unaccounted for.
The incident occurred while workers were on site carrying out construction when one of the floors gave way, triggering the collapse. Authorities are still trying to locate the families of the deceased, some of whom are believed to be nationals of Lesotho.
