JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is introducing tougher building safety regulations and a new regulatory framework.
The measures are aimed at preventing future disasters that have plagued the construction industry.
READ: Public Works calls for accountability in Ormonde building collapse
A series of deadly incidents has raised concerns about weak enforcement, poor workmanship and regulatory failures.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says many of the regulations now being introduced did not previously exist.
"And that is part of the problem that we only react to these collapses, we don't try to prevent them," said MacPherson.
READ: 'Buildings have become monuments of tragedy' - Macpherson on Ormonde collapse
Macpherson said the department has created a national reporting framework that will give it a holistic view of what is happening across the country.
"Construction and the built environment are highly fragmented between the three spheres of government," he said.