Ivaldo Macamo lost a leg when a building under construction collapsed in George in May 2024. Photo: Daniel Steyn

• 34 people died in May when a four-story building, still under construction, collapsed in George. 28 people survived.
• Most survivors are not South Africans and many do not have valid documents allowing them to work in the country, making it difficult to access compensation.
• None of the families we spoke to have received any compensation from the Department of Labor.
• Survivors and relatives of the deceased say they are left traumatized. Only a few have received counseling.

Ivaldo Macamo will have difficulties finding work again. In May, he lost a leg in a building collapse in George that shocked the nation. Macamo, a plasterer from Mozambique with more than a decade of experience, now mainly spends his time at home in an informal settlement in Thembalethu, George. Every time he wants to go out, he has to navigate muddy and uneven roads with crutches.

Macamo is one of the 28 survivors. Thirty-four people died when the four-storey apartment block they were building collapsed on May 6. The cause of the collapse is still unknown and the South African Police Service, the Western Cape government and the Department of Labor and Employment are still investigating.

GroundUp met Macamo and his friend, Virgilio Sitoe, at Macamo’s home in Thembalethu last week. They both have wives and young children who live with them. Macamo and Sitoe were trapped in the rubble of the building for more than 48 hours before being rescued. Sitoe’s feet were crushed and would have been amputated at George Hospital if not for the last-minute intervention of an experienced doctor.

Sitoe said he has tried to work again. But after two days, the pain in his feet and back was unbearable and he had to go home.

None of the survivors or relatives of the deceased that GroundUp spoke to have received any payments from the Unemployment Insurance Fund or the Compensation Fund. The subcontractors who employed the workers have been of little help in navigating a slow and bureaucratic process with the Department of Employment and Labor.

Most of the survivors are not South Africans, which poses a number of challenges. Some were employed without valid documents and do not have legal permission to work. They are unlikely to get compensation.

Last week, one of the survivors, a Malawian man who wished to remain anonymous, was detained while on his way to Thembalethu police station to certify his documents for his UIF application. He was released a few hours later after the intervention of the local captain, a source with knowledge of the matter told GroundUp.

Several of the survivors who do not have valid documents told GroundUp that they are afraid to speak to the police with information about what happened the day of the collapse, because they risk being arrested and deported.

Others have valid papers, but it is an arduous process to apply for compensation. They say Department of Labor staff are unhelpful and send them back and forth between the Department of Health to obtain medical records, their employers to receive payrolls and contracts, and the Department of Labor.

Most of the victims and survivors were employed by two subcontractors: Bo Shova and Father and Sons. Neither company responded to our requests for comment.

George Municipality has raised a fund of R173 000, managed by a non-profit organisation. The money will be divided between the families, said municipal spokesperson Chantèl Edwards.

Ina Bezuidenhout, a lawyer specializing in occupational health and safety, has met with the survivors. Bezuidenhout says the employer often plays a key role in submitting compensation claims to the Department of Labor.

“But in this tragedy, the victims are left to fend for themselves, often incurring the expense of visiting various officials, only to be informed that additional information is needed or that incorrect information was obtained,” Bezuidenhout said during a recent meeting. with survivors.

They hope that once the results of the investigation are made public, it will become clearer who is responsible for the collapse. Legal action could then be considered to claim compensation.

Many of the survivors told GroundUp that they are experiencing terrifying memories since the building collapse. Macamo said he has trouble sleeping and is still mourning the death of his friends. He said he received a referral form for psychosocial support from the Western Cape Department of Social Development in mid-October.

Elelwani Mawela, who was responsible for health and safety at the site, now lives with his family in Limpopo. She described in detail how she spent two months in hospital, during which she underwent extensive facial surgery.

He remembers not being able to open his eyes for most of the time he was in the hospital; She was wide awake, but she couldn’t see anything. At night I had nightmares and couldn’t sleep.

Mawela says she would benefit from counselling, but she has already left the province so the Western Cape Department of Social Development cannot help her.

Families of survivors

We spoke to some of the relatives of those who died in the building, who explained the ordeal of having to travel to George at short notice, identify the bodies of their loved ones, and organize the repatriation of the bodies for burial.

Local funeral home AVBOB provided free coffins and embalming services, but repatriation of the bodies cost more than R25,000 each.

Lizzie Ndlovu, niece of Phineas Ndlovu, who died in the building collapse, said her uncle’s wife and children living in Zimbabwe now have no source of income.

Ndlovu is a domestic worker in Johannesburg. You are about to give up trying to get compensation from the Department of Labor. He has already had to travel to George twice: once to collect his uncle’s body and once to access his medical records. You have not been successful in applying for UIF or Worker’s Compensation.

Blessed Ngere, a pastor and leader of the Zimbabwean community in George, explained how the community mobilized in the days after the collapse to shelter the relatives of those who died. Although people did not know many of the Zimbabweans working there, families opened their doors and raised funds to help pay the cost of transporting the bodies back home.

Ngere says beyond financial compensation, people need answers about what happened.

Meanwhile, survivors still in George were receiving food parcels from local organizations such as the Round Table, Rotary Club and Lions Club.

The Department of Employment and Labor did not respond to GroundUp’s questions.

Rescuers struggled in May 2024 to find construction workers trapped under the collapsed apartment block in George. File photo: Daniel Steyn.

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