Date set for house collapse inquiry

Johannesburg - An inquiry into a house collapse which killed seven people in Alberton will begin in October, the labour department said on Thursday.

"Through this hearing, we want to prevent this disaster from happening again. We are not here on a witch-hunt and finger-pointing exercise," commission chairperson Phumudzo Maphaha said in a statement.

Seven workers were killed and nine injured when the house in the Meyersdal Eco Estate, south of Johannesburg, collapsed last week Monday.

Maphaha, a senior labour department specialist, would be helped by other department officials, including principal inspector Christo du Preez and specialist inspector Lesibe Raphela.

Cross-examinations of witnesses would begin on 29 October.

The inquiry would focus most of its time on gathering evidence on the columns that supported the area that collapsed, Maphaha said.

Interested parties included the building's owner, insurer, designer, the Engineering Council of SA, the National Home Builders Registration Council, and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications.

Last week, the Ekurhuleni municipality said no building plans for the house were submitted for approval.