George fatal building developers 'have gone to ground'

Developers of the deadly construction site where a building collapsed in George, Western Cape, have seemingly vanished as public pressure for answers mounts, amid allegations of poor workmanship at the site.

Carel Swanepoel, owner of Pacific Breeze Trading 91, a subsidiary of Neo Trend Group, and contractor Theunis Kruger, the owner of Liatel Developments, have taken down their company pages from the internet, while estate agent Ronel van der Walt, who was advertising the luxury apartments under construction, claimed she did not know where they were.

The employment and labour department said it would take legal action against the owners after its attempts to subpoena them were ignored.

Pressure is mounting for answers after the deaths of eight construction workers who died when the building collapsed on Monday.

Pacific Breeze bought the 1,220sq/m plot of land for about R3m in August 2020, and in November of the same year Swanepoel applied to have it rezoned to build a three-storey apartment block. However, the building's size was later increased to a four-storey structure with additional parking for 66 cars and yard.

The plan was approved two months later by town planner Jan Vrolijk and senior director of urban planning Clinton Petersen.

In March, two months later, Vrolijk added a fifth floor at the request of the developer.

Finally, rezoning plans were submitted to the municipality in December 2022 before they were approved by council in July last year. 

Department of employment and labour officials visited the site yesterday, where rescue operations were still under way.

Chief inspector David Esau said: “The day we arrived, we tried to make contact with the client, who is the owner of these premises. We went to their address on our system and it was locked.

"We then proceeded to issue a subpoena and up until today, there has been no response from that particular person. We will proceed with our legal processes.

"I am hearing everywhere that he is making contact with  people through his attorneys. That’s not our business. He is obliged by law to be in contact with the department of labour."

Labour minister Thulas Nxesi said they have collected crucial building documents. "What we did was to secure the records because it is part of our protocol to ensure that in a site like this, no records must disappear. Thus far, in terms of what I’ve been briefed, we do not know where they are," said Nxesi.

Neo Trend Group has since removed its LinkedIn and Facebook accounts and website. 

Swanepoel's lawyer Hanno Brummer of Herbie Oosthuizen Attorneys said it was not true that his client has gone to ground.

"The officials went to a wrong place, a coffee shop, which is on the same street as my client's address. An official by the name of Nonhle left her business card behind and we have been trying to get hold of her with no luck. We will cooperate with the department," said Brummer.

Van der Walt said she has not heard from her client, Swanepoel, and that she has been receiving calls from some of the people who had bought apartments at Neo Victoria 75. The units sell for about R1.7m. 

"I don’t have any idea [where they are]… The first thing that I have done is I have informed my purchasers ... and everybody is very concerned about the people involved, not just their money.”

The company marketed the apartments as being located in one of the premium spots in George with awesome views of the Outeniqua Mountains and only a few kilometres away from luxury restaurants and  scenic beaches and lagoons that stretch along the Garden Route.