JOHANNESBURG – The City of Johannesburg says the collapsed building where eight people died in Ormonde in the south of Johannesburg will be demolished.
City of Joburg Mayor Dada Morero said no formal plans were submitted to the city for the building structure, therefore flouting city by-laws and building control.
The mayor visited the site on Tuesday alongside other MMCs from the city.
Morero said officials were still trying to trace and track the owners of the building.
“We are taking steps as the City, as we have a responsibility to act as and when such things happen. Part of the work is to ensure we can establish the owners of the company, then we can act on those.”
He said they were also doing an independent investigation to establish the cause of the collapse.
“On the building itself, it has now been confirmed that it is not structurally sound. Following this, there will be an official inquiry and follow up on everything in this building.”
He said the city will be lodging a formal case against the owners of the building, including the construction company.
The families of the eight people who died have not yet been located. Lesotho nationals are among the deceased.