Pretoria - The commission of inquiry investigating the deaths of seven people who died while building a house in Meyersdal, south of Johannesburg, recently will start on 29 October.
Presiding Officer Phumudzo Maphaha said the inquiry would focus on investigating the columns that supported the area that collapsed.
Earlier this month, seven people died and nine others were injured when the house they were working in collapsed at the Meyersdal Eco Estate.
Department of Labour spokesperson Mokgadi Pela said the Section 32 hearing was appointed by the department to investigate any instance of negligence that resulted in the occupational injuries and the death of workers.
The inquiry will also assist in reviewing safety management systems and establish if the Occupational Health and Safety Act was contravened.
The department held a stakeholder briefing session on Thursday in Pretoria.
The session was attended by the owner of the building, the insurer, designer, the Engineering Council of South Africa, the National Home Builders Registration Council, and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specification.
“Through this hearing, we want to prevent [these kinds of disasters] from happening again. We are not here for a witch hunt or finger pointing exercise,” Maphaha said. – SAnews.gov.za
