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Daily Maverick
23-07-2025
- Daily Maverick
George building collapse: Tribunal finds engineer who signed off plans guilty on five charges
The week a report on the biggest construction disaster in South Africa was released, the Engineering Council of South Africa revealed it had sanctioned the Paarl engineer who signed off on the plans. The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, that 'an ECSA-registered person', implicated in the tragic structural collapse of a building in George on 6 May 2024, had been found guilty of five contraventions of the law. One of these includes a 'misrepresentation of academic qualifications and competency'. The engineer will be charged with five counts related to failing to comply with relevant legislation governing the industry, including the Engineering Profession Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, the National Environmental Management Act, and the Employment Equity Act. These charges follow the suspension of the registration of the engineer, who was unnamed in the media statement, in June 2024 and which had been informed by a decision taken by an Engineering Council of South Africa disciplinary tribunal. Shortly after the collapse of the building, Daily Maverick reported that Paarl-based engineer Athol Mitchell, whose signature appears on George building plans in possession of Daily Maverick, 'went missing'. He was later found. The Pink Ladies Facebook Post on the missing Athol Mitchell. The council said that it had maintained 'active cooperation with law enforcement authorities' and that 'in line with this commitment, the disciplinary ruling, investigation report and supporting evidence have been referred to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for further investigation and action in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977'. Penalties The council announced that it had imposed the maximum permissible monetary penalty on 'the Respondent', which had been informed 'by the findings of the investigation report into the collapse and the possible improper conduct of any Engineering Council of South Africa-registered persons'. On 8 July, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson received a report on the collapse of a five-storey residential property development in George, and promised to share this with families. The report, compiled by the Council for the Built Environment, comes more than a year after the collapse of the residential property development that caused the deaths of 34 people and injured 28. Previous complaints The council said the decision to suspend 'the member' came after findings that the George building disaster had been the third complaint that had been lodged against the engineer. 'In 2019, the Engineering Council of South Africa received the first complaint against the Respondent, and upon review by the investigating committee it was concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of a breach of the ECSA's Code of Conduct,' read the statement. A subsequent complaint was lodged in December 2023, and an independent investigation by the Engineering Council of South Africa's governing council determined that there 'was prima facie evidence of improper conduct'. The formal disciplinary hearing was convened before the tribunal, which found the engineer guilty of contravening Rules 3.1(a) and 3.1(c) of the Code of Conduct. Charges The council said the engineer also faced charges for violations of the Code of Conduct and the Code of Practice for the Performance of Engineering Work. This included failures 'to discharge duties to employers, clients, associates and the public with due care, skill and diligence and to adhere to professional norms when carrying out work' as well as 'misrepresentation, or knowingly permitting misrepresentation, of academic or professional qualifications or competency'. Further charges were 'a failure to give due regard to and prioritise the health, safety and interests of the public as well as a failure to comply with relevant legislation'. The defence The Engineering Council of South Africa revealed that the implicated engineer had sent formal notice to the body via his legal representative that he would not be participating in the hearing, and that it should continue in his absence. 'A plea of not guilty was entered on the Respondent's behalf. The Tribunal, comprising a duly admitted attorney (Chairperson) and 2 (two) suitably qualified Engineering Council of South Africa-registered persons (Tribunal Members), heard expert evidence presented by the ECSA in support of the charges, based on the findings of the investigation report,' read the statement. The tribunal found him guilty of all five charges, and in accordance with Section 32(3)(a) of the act, the Tribunal was empowered to impose one or more permitted sanctions: a maximum permissible fine calculated in terms of the Adjustment of Fines Act and a cancellation of the engineer's registration and removal from the register. The council said it extended its 'deepest sympathies to the families who lost their loved ones, those who were injured and everyone in the George community affected by this devastating tragedy. We are willing to cooperate with any affected people who intend to pursue legal action against the Respondent.' DM
The South African
21-07-2025
- The South African
Court dismisses plea to pardon State Capture accused
On 21 July 2025, the Johannesburg High Court dismissed an application by lawyers of high-profile individuals, seeking pardon from State Capture allegations. They face 11 charges including fraud and Contravention of Regulation 4 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act. The National Prosecuting Authority said all the individuals are linked to a corruption case involving mine rehabilitation. Spokesperson of the NPA's Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, Henry Mamothame, said the accused were also in Contravention of Regulation 7 of the National Environmental Management Act. Additionally, they were charged with money laundering, forgery, uttering and perjury. The alleged state capture offenders approached the court seeking a discharge. Their application was made in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act. 'The accused include the former Deputy Director-General of the then Department of Mineral Resources, Joel Raphela,' said Mamothame. Charged with Raphela are Ronica Ragavan, Pushpaveni Govender and entities linked to the Gupta family, which are Optimum Coal Mine, Koornfontein Mines and Tegeta Exploration and Resources. Mamothame regards the court's dismissal of the application as a victory for justice. Additionally, IDAC has been granted leave to amend the indictment on certain charges against the accused. All the accused have pleaded not guilty to the 11 charges. In conclusion, the matter was postponed to 25 May 2026. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
TimesLIVE
16-07-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Green light for Shell drilling sparks outrage among fishers and activists
Environmental groups and small-scale fishers have slammed the government's approval of Shell's ultra-deep oil and gas exploration project off the west coast. They have warned the decision could ignite an environmental crisis. Mineral and petroleum resources department director-general Jacob Mbele approved the oil giant's environmental impact assessment (EIA) on June 30. Shell announced the news on Friday. Shell said if valuable resources were discovered offshore, they could play an important role in improving South Africa's energy supply and supporting government development efforts. According to the authorisation document signed by Mbele, the area Shell wants to explore is between Port Nolloth and Lamberts Bay. 'The project area of interest in the licence block Northern Cape Ultra Deep is 300km offshore, at its closest point, in water depths ranging from 2,500m to 3,200m,' the document reads. 'The department is satisfied with the information made available to it and, subject to compliance with the conditions of this authorisation, Shell Offshore Upstream South Africa BV should be authorised to undertake the listed activities under the EIA regulations. 'By virtue of powers conferred on it by the National Environmental Management Act and EIA regulations, the department hereby grants the authorisation to Shell Offshore Upstream South Africa BV to undertake the listed activities as described.' Shell submitted the EIA application in February. Civil society organisation Green Connection, however, described the approval as a slap in the face of small scale fishers. Advocacy officer Lisa Makaula said approval had been granted 'despite repeated objections raised by coastal communities and civil society'. We've said before: these oceans are our life. We need a healthy ocean to survive. How can they approve something that could destroy our future? This is why we will not back down Walter Steenkamp, small-scale fisher from Port Nolloth Makaula said the organisation and Natural Justice submitted detailed objections in August and December 2024. 'This EIA authorisation is a slap in the face of the small-scale fishers and communities who have consistently raised concerns about the project and its potential impact on their livelihoods.' Shell is allowed to drill up to five wells, starting with one and adding more if it succeeds, using a drillship or similar vessel. Each well could take three to four months to drill, supported by up to three other vessels. Shell is allowed to carry out wireline logging using vertical seismic profiling, a technique that creates detailed seismic images of the rock layers around the well once the drilling reaches its planned depth. 'The objective is to confirm the presence of petroleum,' the document reads. Shell is allowed to test up to two wells to assess their commercial potential, carry out sonar mapping and seabed sampling and use remotely operated vehicles to inspect the seabed before and after drilling. Wells will be sealed with tested cement plugs once drilling is complete and a final survey will ensure the area is clear before the drillship leaves. Makaula said the department's decision was alarming given the climate crisis and risks to marine life and small-scale fishers, especially in the Northern Cape, where many communities are vulnerable. 'Despite industry claims, gas is not a transition fuel — it is a fossil fuel that contributes to the climate crisis. Climate scientists confirm new oil and gas projects are incompatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C. 'Approving this sort of development now undermines climate action and endangers the communities it claims to benefit — especially as gas poses more climate risks, due to methane emissions that have 80 times the heating potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period,' said Makaula. Walter Steenkamp, a small-scale fisher from Port Nolloth, shared Makaula's sentiments. 'We've said before: these oceans are our life. We need a healthy ocean to survive. How can they approve something that could destroy our future? This is why we will not back down,' he said. Deborah de Wee, a small-scale fisher from Doringbaai, expressed disappointment. 'We are deeply disappointed by this decision. We believe it's a huge mistake that puts our ocean — and our future — at risk. We don't want harmful activities such as oil and gas drilling in our waters because we depend on the ocean for our daily bread,' she said. 'This is how we survive and how our people have survived for generations. These projects don't just threaten our food security — they potentially threaten our way of life. 'If this goes ahead, our children may never experience the ocean the way we did. With this decision, it feels like we are being robbed of our fishing culture. How will we teach the next generation to make a living from the sea when the risks are so high?' TimesLIVE
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Lack of title deeds: a stumbling block to homeownership that everyone's trying to solve
Thousands of Gauteng residents have been left in limbo over the past years due to a backlog of title deeds. Image: Sisonke Mlamla/Independent Newspapers Despite raising families, repairing leaking roofs and painting the walls year after year, millions of South Africans do not own the homes they have lived in for decades. These are homes filled with memories but lacking one vital thing: a title deed, says Standard Bank. That could change for a thousand families in the foreseeable future. Through a partnership with the Khaya Lam Initiative, a national project working to transfer home ownership to those who have lived without formal recognition, a major title deed drive is underway, bringing long-awaited legal ownership to residents of municipal housing across South Africa. These title deeds will come at no cost to the recipients. But the impact is priceless. 'These are not high-profile or high-value properties. It's municipal homes that house many vulnerable, low-income families. They are occupied by pensioners, child-headed households, and multi-generational families,' says Toni Anderson, the head of Home Services at Standard Bank. The financial institution said it will match every employee donation rand-for-rand to accelerate progress towards the 1 000 title-deeds target. There is an estimated 5 to 7 million municipal homes in South Africa, housing more than 20 million people. Many of these homes were said to have never been formally transferred to the families living in them, often due to lack of capacity in local municipalities or the cost of the legal process. Delivering the Department of Human Settlement(DHS) Budget Vote last week, Minister Thembi Simelane said they remained concerned about the slow delivery of title deeds to beneficiaries. She said the major challenge to this project is the delayed and stalled processes of township establishment and proclamation. In this regard, the minister said they have resolved to seek concessions in respect of certain provisions of the Spatial Planning and Land-Use Management Act (SPLUMA) and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) from the respective Ministries, which would enable them to unlock title deeds for 398 194 households. Simelane said the acceleration of the issuing of title deeds will be a critical focus area during the 7th Administration to ensure security of tenure and unlock household asset value. 'We will continue to prioritise our work as part of Operation Vulindlela to accelerate delivery, because coordination between various sector departments is central in assisting to unblock some of the challenges that currently exist.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Khaya Lam intervenes by identifying homes with potential for transfer, verifying rightful occupants, and coordinating with local attorneys to finalise the paperwork. Each transfer costs R3 750, a small amount in bureaucratic terms, but a significant hurdle for families living on the margins. The current initiative, enabled by donations from the bank and its employees, aims to cover these costs for one thousand families. For many recipients, this will be the first legal recognition that the home they've long known to be theirs, is legally recognised as such. 'When you hold your title deed, you hold more than paper, you hold the key to your family's future,' Anderson says. 'You can pass it on, improve it, and most importantly, it becomes an asset these families can leverage when looking for funding.' In 2018, a similar drive by Standard Bank and Khaya Lam saw 100 title deeds handed over to families in the Free State. Now, Standard Bank said it has invited its employees to help fund the initiative, with the company's Corporate Social Investment (CSI) unit matching their contributions rand-for-rand. 'The goal this time is to make the impact ten times bigger. Our hope is that this will spark a much larger movement, one that encourages more partners to step in and help close the massive title deed gap in our country,' Anderson said. Earlier last week, Simelane handed over title deeds to senior citizens or their children to those who had passed away at Bishop Lavis in the City of Cape Town. The minister said a title deed is not merely a piece of paper, but ensures security, stability and a promise of a better future. She added that it is more than a legal document; it is a tangible affirmation of one's right to land, to property, and to a home. It provides families with the ability to invest in their futures, to build wealth and to create an environment where future generations can flourish. Independent Media Property
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Lack of title deeds: a stumbling block to homeownership that everyone's trying to solve
Thousands of Gauteng residents have been left in limbo over the past years due to a backlog of title deeds. Image: Sisonke Mlamla/Independent Newspapers Despite raising families, repairing leaking roofs and painting the walls year after year, millions of South Africans do not own the homes they have lived in for decades. These are homes filled with memories but lacking one vital thing: a title deed, says Standard Bank. That could change for a thousand families in the foreseeable future. Through a partnership with the Khaya Lam Initiative, a national project working to transfer home ownership to those who have lived without formal recognition, a major title deed drive is underway, bringing long-awaited legal ownership to residents of municipal housing across South Africa. These title deeds will come at no cost to the recipients. But the impact is priceless. 'These are not high-profile or high-value properties. It's municipal homes that house many vulnerable, low-income families. They are occupied by pensioners, child-headed households, and multi-generational families,' says Toni Anderson, the head of Home Services at Standard Bank. The financial institution said it will match every employee donation rand-for-rand to accelerate progress towards the 1 000 title-deeds target. There is an estimated 5 to 7 million municipal homes in South Africa, housing more than 20 million people. Many of these homes were said to have never been formally transferred to the families living in them, often due to lack of capacity in local municipalities or the cost of the legal process. Delivering the Department of Human Settlement(DHS) Budget Vote last week, Minister Thembi Simelane said they remained concerned about the slow delivery of title deeds to beneficiaries. She said the major challenge to this project is the delayed and stalled processes of township establishment and proclamation. In this regard, the minister said they have resolved to seek concessions in respect of certain provisions of the Spatial Planning and Land-Use Management Act (SPLUMA) and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) from the respective Ministries, which would enable them to unlock title deeds for 398 194 households. Simelane said the acceleration of the issuing of title deeds will be a critical focus area during the 7th Administration to ensure security of tenure and unlock household asset value. 'We will continue to prioritise our work as part of Operation Vulindlela to accelerate delivery, because coordination between various sector departments is central in assisting to unblock some of the challenges that currently exist.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Khaya Lam intervenes by identifying homes with potential for transfer, verifying rightful occupants, and coordinating with local attorneys to finalise the paperwork. Each transfer costs R3 750, a small amount in bureaucratic terms, but a significant hurdle for families living on the margins. The current initiative, enabled by donations from the bank and its employees, aims to cover these costs for one thousand families. For many recipients, this will be the first legal recognition that the home they've long known to be theirs, is legally recognised as such. 'When you hold your title deed, you hold more than paper, you hold the key to your family's future,' Anderson says. 'You can pass it on, improve it, and most importantly, it becomes an asset these families can leverage when looking for funding.' In 2018, a similar drive by Standard Bank and Khaya Lam saw 100 title deeds handed over to families in the Free State. Now, Standard Bank said it has invited its employees to help fund the initiative, with the company's Corporate Social Investment (CSI) unit matching their contributions rand-for-rand. 'The goal this time is to make the impact ten times bigger. Our hope is that this will spark a much larger movement, one that encourages more partners to step in and help close the massive title deed gap in our country,' Anderson said. Earlier last week, Simelane handed over title deeds to senior citizens or their children to those who had passed away at Bishop Lavis in the City of Cape Town. The minister said a title deed is not merely a piece of paper, but ensures security, stability and a promise of a better future. She added that it is more than a legal document; it is a tangible affirmation of one's right to land, to property, and to a home. It provides families with the ability to invest in their futures, to build wealth and to create an environment where future generations can flourish. Independent Media Property
