The main contractor involved in the construction of the George building that collapsed last week, Liatel Developments, claims it is following “protocol” in various investigations to determine the cause of the disaster.

“At this time, Liatel makes the firm commitment that it will cooperate, and is currently cooperating, with the ongoing search-and-rescue and recovery operations,” Liatel Developments director Theuns Kruger told the Mail & Guardian.

Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said last week the department had failed to make contact with the building’s developers, Neo Victoria. Liatel was contracted by Neo Victoria to carry out the construction of the five-storey building, which collapsed on 6 May.  

The George municipality confirmed that, as of Wednesday afternoon, 61 construction workers had been retrieved from the site, 33 of whom had died...

The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) — a public entity that regulates the industry — confirmed that Liatel was not registered as a contractor. “The company mentioned, Liatel Construction, is not on the CIDB register of contractors,” CEO Bongani Dladla said...

Liatel Developments did not respond to the M&G’s questions about not being registered with any legal construction body...

The George municipality said it had received assistance from the Forensic Pathology Service and police to expedite the identification of the dead. The pathology team announced on Wednesday that it had completed the formal identification process of the victims. So far, 18 victims — 14 men and four women — have been identified. Of these, seven were South African, three Zimbabwean, five Malawian, one Mozambican and one person was from Lesotho. One other person’s nationality has not been disclosed...