Latest news with #DeanMacpherson
TimesLIVE
13-06-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Deon Macpherson vows to end unfair treatment and bribery in EPWP
Public works and infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson has vowed to stop bribery, unfair treatment and nepotism in the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). Macpherson made this promise during an EPWP listening tour at the Disaster Management Centre in Johannesburg on Friday. During the discussion with the community, Macpherson heard how municipal officials were allegedly abusing their roles in the programme through nepotism, bribery and misuse of funds. Macpherson said the programme was aimed at creating work opportunities for those most affected by poverty and excluded from participating in the formal economy because of age. 'It is important that we are able to give people opportunities to employment and to better their lives with skills', he said.
Daily Maverick
08-06-2025
- Daily Maverick
Probe into George building collapse complete, findings to be shared with victims' families
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said those responsible for the disaster would be held accountable. After studying a report on the collapse of a five-storey residential property development in George, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson will share the findings with the families of the victims. The report, compiled by the Council for the Built Environment, comes more than a year after the collapse of the residential property development in George caused the deaths of 34 people and injured 28. 'As the department, we will now carefully study the report to develop a pathway forward to ensure that a tragedy such as the George building collapse never happens again,' said Macpherson in a statement. 'As I have previously committed, after studying the report, I will personally return to George to present the findings of this report to the families affected by this tragedy. They deserve to hear directly from us, not through the media, about what went wrong and how we intend to rectify it.' Macpherson's spokesperson, James de Villiers, said a final date had not yet been set by the minister to visit the families. It is also unclear whether the findings of the report will be made public. 'This will be decided after having spoken to the families,' said De Villiers. The collapse of the five-storey development, known as 75 Victoria, in May 2024, was followed by a recovery effort that lasted for several days. Twenty-eight survivors were eventually recovered from the rubble. The contractor for the development was Liatel Developments, under director Theuns Kruger, Daily Maverick reported. Macpherson said the completion of the report 'marks a critical step in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure's commitment to uncover the truth behind this preventable disaster and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable'. He said the collapse of the building was 'the result of systemic failures across regulatory bodies and a lack of cooperation among key stakeholders'. He added that the department would continue to work with the South African Police Service, the National Prosecuting Authority and other regulatory bodies to 'ensure accountability'. 'As I have said before, the collapse of the George building was entirely preventable, and we will therefore work towards accountability and address any errors which may have been identified. By working together, we are ensuring a safe and secure construction sector for all stakeholders,' said Macpherson. The report is one of several commissioned by various stakeholders into the collapse. In April, the National Home Builders Registration Council's (NHBRC's) investigation into the collapse of the building revealed that there were several breaches in occupational health and safety standards at the construction site, Daily Maverick's Tamsin Metelerkamp reported. The NHBRC is a regulatory body of the home building industry, with a mandate to protect the interests of housing consumers and to ensure that builders comply with the prescribed building standards. Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane said the violations identified in the NHBRC's report included a failure to address safety concerns at the site, as well as the resignation of a safety consultant during the building process. DM
IOL News
03-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Expropriation Act: How many expropriating authorities are empowered by the Act?
The Expropriation Act is written so broadly that every form of property in South Africa is now subject to expropriation below market value. From homes to farms to businesses to savings to pensions, all forms of property are, in terms of the Act, vulnerable to expropriation, says Makone Maja, IRR Strategic Engagements Manager. The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) will this week write to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, requesting clarity on a crucial matter related to the Expropriation Act, for which the Minister is responsible. The Act grants sweeping powers to expropriating authorities to expropriate any form of property below market value. It offers weak and contradictory measures to property owners to protect their rights through the courts. Yet, just how many authorities in South Africa are granted expropriating powers by the Act is unclear; by IRR calculations, the number could exceed 400. Says Makone Maja, IRR Strategic Engagements Manager: 'The Expropriation Act is an unpopular piece of legislation. IRR opinion polling in March and April this year found that 68% of registered voters oppose the Act. It's easy to understand why. The Act is written so broadly that every form of property in South Africa is now subject to expropriation below market value. From homes to farms to businesses to savings to pensions, all forms of property are, in terms of the Act, vulnerable to expropriation. And yet there seems to be no clarity from the government on the exact number of entities the law empowers to confiscate property on astonishingly flimsy grounds.' As illustrated in the IRR's flagship Blueprint for Growth series, property rights are a vital means of economic participation and empowerment only if they are secure. Weaken the certainty with which people can own what's lawfully theirs and the knock-on consequences range from undermining food security to wiping out pensions and savings. Says Maja: 'It is the height of policy recklessness for this door of vast state power to be opened to an unknown number of expropriating authorities. If the number of these authorities is unknown, how can South Africans have any trust that the sweeping expropriating powers granted by the Act won't be abused? 'We have all heard the horror stories of extortion by state officials – from kickback mafias to corruption. We are a country familiar with the disgusting abuse of state power. The Expropriation Act empowers a vast expropriation network at all levels of the state. The IRR has thus far tallied at least 426 such authorities, yet the number might rise to close to a thousand. This is a terrifying prospect. The Minister has a duty to provide urgent clarity on this matter.' The Institute of Race Relations Johannesburg
IOL News
03-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Minister receives report on George building collapse
The George building collapse was the result of systemic failures across various regulatory bodies and a lack of cooperation among key stakeholders, says Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson. He reiterated that accountability could not be optional when human lives were lost as a result of human error. The minister on Monday confirmed he has received the final report from the Council for the Built Environment (CBE), via its body the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) on the tragedy. On May 6, 2024, a five-storey building collapsed in George claiming the lives of 34 people and leaving 28 others injured. Macpherson said the report marked a critical step in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure's commitment to uncover the truth behind what he described as a preventable disaster and to ensure those responsible are held accountable. 'As the Department, we will now carefully study the report to develop a pathway forward to ensure that a tragedy such as the George building collapse never happens again. As I have previously committed, after studying the report, I will personally return to George to present the findings of this report to the families affected by this tragedy. They deserve to hear directly from us, not through the media, about what went wrong and how we intend to rectify it,' Macpherson said. He emphasised that the collapse was the result of systemic failures across various regulatory bodies and a lack of cooperation among key stakeholders. He added that the Department will continue to work with the police, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and other relevant regulatory bodies to ensure accountability. 'As I have said before, the collapse of the George building was entirely preventable, and we will therefore work towards accountability and address any errors that may have been identified. By working together, we are ensuring a safe and secure construction sector for all stakeholders,' Macpherson said. Last week George councillor, Chantelle Kyd resigned from the Planning and Development Mayoral Committee over what she said was the DA-led municipality's lack of transparency over the confidential tabling of reports on the building collapse. The GOOD councillor tendered her resignation, saying it was not an easy decision but that she could not stay in an executive role where 'truth is suppressed' and 'accountability is avoided'. 'It is unacceptable that the DA would choose to table critical reports behind closed doors, bar the media, and deny coalition partners the opportunity to address the public truthfully.' DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers said the position to table the item as confidential was a 'collective decision'. 'The position on the specific item in question was adopted by the Joint Coalition Caucus as all parties agreed to its recommendations. Furthermore, as GOOD communicated in recent weeks on the matter publicly, GOOD was informed that it could issue a party-political statement on the matter following the council meeting. So in no way were GOOD George sidelined, marginalised or censored while a member of the coalition government,' said Simmers.
News24
02-06-2025
- General
- News24
Public Works probe into George building collapse completed, findings yet to be shared
A report into the collapse of the George building has been submitted to Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson. The collapse, which took place more than a year ago, killed 34 people and injured 28. Macpherson has committed to meet with the families of those killed in the collapse to unpack the report. A report into the collapse of the George building has landed on the desk of Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson. Macpherson's department commissioned the report, which was compiled by the Council for the Built Environment (CBE), as part of the probes in the collapse of the five-storey construction site. The incident left 34 dead. Twenty-eight people were pulled from the rubble alive, but many have been left with severe injuries. Macpherson said the report 'marks a critical step in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure's commitment to uncover the truth behind this preventable disaster' and ensure that those responsible are held to account. 'As the Department, we will now carefully study the report to develop a pathway forward to ensure that a tragedy such as the George building collapse never happens again. As I have previously committed, after studying the report, I will personally return to George to present the findings of this report to the families affected by this tragedy,' he said. 'They deserve to hear directly from us, not through the media, about what went wrong and how we intend to rectify it.' Macpherson said that the collapse resulted from 'systemic failures across various regulatory bodies and a lack of cooperation among key stakeholders'. He said his department will continue to work with the police, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and other relevant regulatory bodies to ensure accountability. 'The collapse of the George building was entirely preventable, and we will therefore work towards accountability and address any errors which may have been identified. By working together, we are ensuring a safe and secure construction sector for all stakeholders.' Luke Daniel/News24 The report is among several commissioned by various organisations into the collapse. Two weeks ago, the George Municipality received the final report in an independent structural investigation of the site, which was commissioned and undertaken by Engineering Design Services (EDS) on behalf of the municipality. 'The final report has been submitted to the police and forms part of the official evidence bundle in the ongoing criminal investigation. Therefore, the report will not be made public or tabled to the Council. The Municipality remains committed to fully cooperating with SAPS and other relevant authorities and supports efforts to conclude the investigation as swiftly and thoroughly as possible,' the municipality said.
