The labour department and the SAPS traded blows in parliament this week over the lack of a report 18 months after the George building collapse that killed 34 workers. Chris Barron asked labour deputy minister Jomo Sibiya ...
Didn’t you say you’re committed to ensuring accountability and justice for the victims?
That’s very, very true.
So why has it taken so long to produce your report?
The investigation we’ve been conducting is a very difficult investigation which needs a lot of work before you can say you’ve concluded. We wanted to get to the bottom of what happened, so we had to do a thorough job. It was difficult to get some of the information that we wanted. The co-operation of the George municipality left a lot to be desired. Up to today they didn’t give us the plan that they signed off when that building was to be constructed. They didn’t give us the person who signed off on the plan, the drawings.
Couldn’t you have subpoenaed them?
We were able to get some of the information. I’m just saying in terms of the delay, it was very difficult. The NPA will have to deal with what is outstanding. We have played our part.
When will you submit your report to the NPA?
We have submitted.
When?
Yesterday.
You told the joint committee that SAPS obstructed you?
Not necessarily obstructed, but I think they don’t understand our work and responsibilities. When it comes to such investigations our responsibilities are very central. SAPS in this matter can only investigate the murders, but ...
What murders?
Let me not say murders. The deaths. They can only deal with the deaths, but when it comes to how everything happened it becomes our responsibility in terms of workers’ health and safety. They’re dependent on us to tell them what happened. Our inspectors, when they arrived to take the health and safety file from the site, SAPS wanted to chase them away.
SAPS says your inspectors showed little interest in doing their job.
That’s a lie. Our inspectors were at the site the same day and took the file. That makes me very angry, I must say.
SAPS says you took the file without them knowing.
They were never going to take that file. SAPS even wanted to arrest ... they opened a case against our inspector because they wanted the occupational health and safety file, which is not what they should have. We gave them copies. They wanted the original, but the law doesn’t allow that. These are documents that must be inspected by us so we can do our work.
If your inspectors were doing their work, how come there wasn’t a single valid work permit on site?
It’s because of lies and deceit. When the company started to do their work, we gave them a work permit that was for particular work on site. This company changed the building from time to time and didn’t inform us.
Aren’t your inspectors supposed to do site inspections from time to time?
We do, but the company has the responsibility to inform us if they’re changing.
Don’t your inspectors check that workers are properly documented?
We literally check everything.
Why were 53 of the 68 workers on site undocumented?
The issue of migration lies with home affairs.
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