By OBAKENG MAJE
17 December 2025- The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson said the investigation found, among others, that there were concerns regarding the quality of construction, that the concrete used was friable and that no building plans were submitted to authorities.
Macpherson said as investigations continue, his department and stakeholders will continue to support affected families and communities, ensure full accountability, and work to prevent similar tragedies.
He further said they gathered today under deeply painful circumstances. Macpherson added that the collapse of a multi-storey building in Redcliffe, North of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday afternoon has caused immense heartbreak and tragedy, particularly at this time of year.
“As I said during my site visit on Saturday, on behalf of the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure, I wish to once again express my deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones in the Redcliffe collapse.
“We will continue to work closely with all spheres of government and relevant stakeholders to support those who have been injured and all those affected by this tragedy,” he said.
Macpherson said he wants to pay tribute to their brave rescuers, emergency personnel and police officers who have worked bravely and understand dangerous conditions to free those who were trapped and return those who were deceased back to their families. He said he wanted to commend the Province of KwaZulu-Natal and eThekwini Municipality for the disaster management coordination shown in this tragedy.
“We also want to express our gratitude to the Western Cape Provincial Government for allocating resources to support the recovery effort.
“We must also acknowledge the trauma experienced by survivors, workers, congregants, and community members. We thank our teams for the professionalism, dedication, and compassion they have shown since last Friday,” said Macpherson.
He said at the time of the latest formal operational update provided to the government, five fatalities had been confirmed, with a number of additional people injured. Macpherson said they do not believe there are any further people trapped in the rubble of the collapse.
“We again extend our deepest condolences to the families affected, and we wish all those injured a speedy and full recovery.
“Preliminary findings at this stage, it is important to emphasise that the findings I am about to share are preliminary in nature and are based on an initial expert assessment conducted by the Council for the Built Environment, working alongside relevant provincial and municipal authorities,” he said.
Macpherson said the Council’s CEO, Dr Msizi Myeza, will later further unpack these preliminary findings and the legislative framework that the CBE operates under in moments such as this. He said based on the information available at this point, the structure involved was a reinforced concrete multi-storey building under construction, comprising concrete columns, flat slabs and masonry walls.
“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.
“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,” said Macpherson.
The Guardian 