A father of two, Elias Abilio Tavede, is still grappling with the aftermath of a tragic building collapse in George that claimed the lives of 34 workers. Nearly ten months on from the disaster, investigations into the causes of the collapse are ongoing, but Tavede’s struggle to regain his footing has only just begun. The 43-year-old, once employed in construction, received a mere R2,500 Shoprite voucher as part of a fund set up to assist the victims. However, this token compensation has done little to ease the profound impact on his life.
Tavede had been working at the construction site for several months when the building came down on May 6, 2024. He suffered severe injuries, including a broken leg that required surgical intervention to insert pins to aid in healing. The trauma of the incident, coupled with his inability to return to work in construction, has left Tavede and his family facing an uncertain future.
“Since the accident, I have not been able to work. The doctor said I might be able to return to work in January, but that’s still a long way off,” Tavede shared. Before the collapse, he was the primary breadwinner for his small family, supporting his girlfriend and two children with his construction job. Now, he is focused on starting a small business to sustain his family, but the challenges of rebuilding his life are far from easy. Despite being physically improved, Tavede’s future remains uncertain, as his injuries have made it impossible for him to resume the work that had been his livelihood.
The George Municipality set up a Relief and Charitable Fund shortly after the tragedy, raising R173,000 in donations. Yet, Tavede’s experience with the fund has been less than reassuring. The R2,500 voucher, which was issued by the fund, was a small comfort, but it hardly addresses the long-term challenges Tavede faces. When asked about the fund, a spokesperson for Western Cape Premier Alan Winde clarified that the provincial government was not responsible for distributing vouchers or managing the funds. Instead, the municipality had delegated the administration of the fund to an NPO, Famsa.
Despite the apparent generosity of the donations, the details of how the funds were distributed have left many feeling disillusioned. According to George Municipality’s spokesperson Chantel Edwards, the vouchers were issued by mid-December 2024, though the timeline for compensation remains unclear. The relief fund was intended to help workers and their families cope with the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, but for Tavede, the experience has only added to his frustrations.
The investigation into the collapse continues, with multiple parties involved in trying to determine what went wrong. The Department of Employment and Labour conducted a blitz of construction sites shortly after the incident, inspecting over 100 sites for non-compliance, but there is little indication of continued enforcement. Tavede recalled how, months after the incident, he and other survivors were only interviewed by the police in November, long after they had given their initial statements. The slow pace of the investigation has only compounded the sense of injustice for those affected.
Tavede, who was trapped under rubble for four hours, vividly remembers the harrowing moments following the collapse. “It felt like a huge storm, and then I realized the building was coming down,” he said. He spent hours under debris, unable to move but calling out for help as his colleagues tried to rescue him. His ordeal ended only when rescuers finally freed him and rushed him to the hospital, where he underwent surgery for his injuries.
The ongoing investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) is expected to be handed over to the National Prosecuting Authority once it concludes. In the meantime, other investigations into the structural causes of the collapse are still underway. The Western Cape Government has commissioned an independent assessment to understand the root cause of the disaster. However, this process is still in its early stages, with the results undergoing peer review before being made public. While officials have expressed a hope that those responsible will be held accountable, no conclusions have yet been reached.
The development project, which was to include a five-story apartment building, had been under the control of Neo Victoria Developers (Pty) Ltd. In the wake of the collapse, three directors of the company resigned, though there has been no word from their legal team regarding the incident. The project, estimated at R39 million, had been approved by the George Municipality in July 2023. The tragedy has raised questions about the safety standards and oversight in the construction industry, particularly in light of the growing number of non-compliant sites discovered by the Department of Employment and Labour.
Tavede’s story is a painful reminder of the human cost behind construction accidents, and the inadequacies of the compensation and relief efforts that follow. For many, the emotional and financial scars from such a tragedy will take years to heal. And for Tavede, as he works to rebuild his life and provide for his family, the long-term impact of the George building collapse is far from over.