The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, has requested the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) to investigate the Soweto building collapse which claimed three lives on Sunday, December 28, 2025.
The Johannesburg Emergency Management Services reported that the double-storey building in Doornkop collapsed in the early hours with six people found in the structure at the time of collapse.
A one-year-old child and two women succumbed to the injuries while three people were taken to the hospital after they were trapped beneath the rubble.
THE MINISTER’S INTERVENTION IN THE COLLAPSE
Macpherson wants the Council for the Built Environment to investigate the cause of the collapse, identify any responsible parties, and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Minister said the investigation will be thorough, transparent and undertaken with full cooperation from regulatory authorities.
He said the safety of construction workers and the public remains a priority and the department is committed to accountability and to ensuring that all necessary steps are taken to strengthen safety and oversight across the construction sector.
“We will respect due process and will cooperate fully with all regulatory bodies throughout the investigation. The safety of construction workers and the public remains our utmost priority. There will be a thorough investigation, and once all thefacts have been established, appropriate action will be taken.” the minister said.
This tragic incident echoes previous deadly building collapses in the country, including the George building collapse and the Verulam temple collapse.
GEORGE BUILDING COLLAPSE
The collapse of a building in George in the Western Cape killed 34 people and left over 20 workers injured in May last year.
Macpherson revealed that the incident was preventable during a media briefing in July this year.
He stated that the investigation confirmed that serious safety concerns had been raised before the collapse and assured the public that the investigation report would be published in the Government Gazette in due course.
“The full ECSA investigation report has been completed and it will be published in the Government Gazette in due course. An appeal window to these findings is currently underway which expires on the 3rd of August 2025,” he said.
However, the minister withheld the investigation report.
Macpherson stated during a media briefing held earlier this month that the report will not be released to protect the integrity of police investigations.
“After careful consultation with the SAPS and the NPA, as well as with the families, I agreed that the investigative report should not be released publicly at this stage, so as not to jeopardise the ongoing criminal processes,” he said.
VERULAM TEMPLE COLLAPSE
Another building collapse near the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection in Verulam in KwaZulu-Natal claimed five lives and left several others injured on December 12, 2025.
The minister said the preliminary investigation into this incident indicated that poor-quality concrete and weak reinforced columns were used in the construction in Verulam, and that no approved building plans were submitted to the authorities.
“The collapse occurred while concrete was being poured, with reports indicating that work was underway on the upper levels of the building at the time of the incident.
The preliminary evidence, including available video footage, points to a sudden structural failure, most likely triggered by a formwork or shuttering failure during the pumping of wet concrete. It has also been observed that substandard concrete material and substandard reinforced columns were used,” he said.
This is yet another deadly building collapse in the country that has reignited fears about the safety of construction.
