The Meyersdal Structural Collapse Incident Inquiry will begin with the cross-examination of witnesses on October 29.

This was announced by Commission of Inquiry Presiding Officer Phumudzo Maphaha at a Department of Labour briefing session. The session was attended by the owner, insurer, designer, the Engineering Council of South Africa, the National Home Builders Registration Council, and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specification.

The commission will investigate the collapse of a house in Meyersdal Eco Estate, south of Johannesburg, which killed seven construction workers and injured another eight.

 

Objective

The Section 32 hearing was appointed by the Department of Labour to investigate any instance of negligence that resulted in occupational injuries and death of workers. The hearing seeks to prevent the incident from happening again, help review the Act and regulations, help in the review safety management systems, and also establish if there are contraventions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

“Through this hearing, we want to prevent this disaster from happening again. We are not here in a witch-hunt and finger pointing exercise,” said Maphaha.

“Public interest to me matters most in how we conduct this inquiry.” He cautioned that the families of the workers who died as well as those who were injured want to know what happened on the day of the collapse.

 

Focus on columns

Maphaha said the inquiry will focus mainly on investigating the columns that supported the area that collapsed. He said he does not want the commission to waste time by investigating issues that did not lead to the collapse.