Joburg City manager vows accountability after deadly Ormonde collapse

Johannesburg City Manager, Floyd Brink, says lawlessness will not be tolerated as investigations continue into the deadly two-storey building collapse in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg.

Nine people were killed in the tragedy, while three others were injured and remain in hospital.

Speaking at the site on Tuesday, Brink said the focus has now shifted to how the land was acquired, whether the building was legally approved, and whether inspectors fulfilled their duties.

He announced an audit of building and land use inspectors in the region, revealing that Region F currently has just 15 building control inspectors.

“So what we’re now going to do is meet with all the building inspectors as well as the land use inspectors. We will be conducting an audit in this area and others. If you look at the number of inspectors across the city, out of about 132, we have 59 building control inspectors. In Region F, we have 15. We will be addressing all those inspectors and ensuring that we conduct a full audit. We should be able to report back in the next few weeks,” Brink said.

The incident has once again placed the spotlight on building safety and construction oversight in the city.

All bodies were recovered from the rubble on Tuesday afternoon following an intensive two-day search and rescue operation.

Johannesburg EMS Divisional Chief, Freddy Morukhu, said the manner in which the structure gave way points to severe structural compromise.

“The way it collapsed shows that it was going to happen somewhere along the way, even if it was not yesterday. The manner in which it collapsed shows it was not going to be sustained for long. With our experience in operations of this kind, we are able to see that it was not going to survive much longer,” Morukhu said.

Morukhu explained that when rescue teams first arrived on scene, they feared the impact was so severe that no one could have survived.

However, after calling out at the entrance, responders heard screams from beneath the rubble. Three people were pulled out alive before full-scale recovery operations began.

Six bodies were recovered on the first day before operations were suspended due to darkness and safety concerns. Teams resumed at first light, retrieving three more bodies.

Morukhu said crews had to stabilise precarious concrete slabs and cut through steel and debris using specialised equipment, describing the mission as extremely dangerous.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson, says South Africa could be facing a broader crisis in the built environment, describing this as the third building collapse in recent months.

Macpherson visited the site and warned that systemic regulatory failures may be contributing to a growing pattern of structural disasters.

With the site now handed over to police, the minister has called on the construction company, New Order Investment, to come forward and account for what happened. He has urged anyone with information about the company’s owner to contact authorities.

He also raised concerns about possible coordination failures between national, provincial and local government structures, suggesting fragmented oversight may be creating dangerous compliance gaps.

“We must confront whether there are systemic conditions that are allowing these tragedies to take place in the first place. I think this demands, from national government, the Premier and the Deputy Mayor, a crisis response. I did briefly interact with the President last night, and you will have seen that he issued a statement and shares concern about what is going on here,” MacPherson said.

MacPherson extended condolences to the families of the nine construction workers who lost their lives. Government says regulatory processes have now been activated, with broader audits and possible Cabinet-level intervention under consideration.

The minister added that the city will give the owner of New Order Investment an opportunity to take responsibility and demolish the remaining structure – failing which, the municipality will intervene.

He confirmed that Cabinet discussions will be expedited on what he calls a “fragmented building environment,” stressing that a unified government approach is urgently needed to prevent similar tragedies.

This afternoon, I visited the site of the tragic building collapse in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg, where nine people have lost their lives.

I offered my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and support to all those injured. We thank our brave emergency services… pic.twitter.com/lyjMeN9yDL

— Dean Macpherson MP (@DeanMacpherson) March 3, 2026

Written by: Lebohang Ndashe