The owners of Ice Projects which owns the land where the building collapse took place has finally spoken. Controversial contractor Ice Projects in Neo Victoria finally broke silence on the incident that took place in George in the Western Cape which has claimed the lives of 31 people. On Sunday Police Minister Bheki Cele said it was inhuman that the contractor has not visited the site where 20 people are still missing.

CONTROVERSIAL CONTRACTOR

According to the letter that was sent to a local newspaper, it said that Ice Projects was a historic shareholder of the landowner called Neo Victoria. It said that Victoria was only a shareholder for a 5-months period between December 2022 until 2 May 2023. "Ice Projects sold its shares in Neo Victoria to Scarlet Ribbon Properties 56 Pty Ltd on May 2, 2023, which pre-dated the approval of building plans and the commencement of the building works. ?Ice Projects decided not to participate in the project, pursuant to the completion of a due diligence and feasibility study. Upon the information available at that stage which revealed that the project did not yield a sufficient return of investment. Ice Projects has no shareholding, interest, control or influence in respect of the project or the property in any manner or form,? the letter reads. According to the letter, the management of Neo Victoria failed to remove all references to Ice Projects from their marketing material. On Tuesday, George Municipality with the Joint District Operations Centre confirmed that they needed the services of people who are fluent practitioners in Chewa, Portuguese, and Shona languages. These services are needed because most workers are foreign nationals and speaking the above-mentioned languages. It is understandable that most workers are from Malawi, Zimbabwe and Angola. "We need them to assist with emotional, social and overall mental health needs of those affected by the building collapse. Rescue workers and other role players have been on site for 187 hours. The primary focus continues to be on rescue efforts. With this in mind, we are also proactively setting up plans to expedite the identification of the deceased," he said. Western Cape Head of Disaster Management Colin Deiner said that this is done by Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) and South African Police Service (SAPS). 

POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION 

"Therefore, we endeavor to fast-track the process to help bring closure to families. Fingerprints, DNA testing and photographs of unique markings such as tattoos and clothing items are some of the methods used to identify the deceased. FPS are not limited to the Victoria Street Disaster in George, but also include other cases that happen on a daily basis. It is confirmed that 6 of the deceased were positively identified, this information also went through the system," he said. Deiner further said they are experiencing difficulties in obtaining accurate names of individuals missing or deceased due to the building collapse. "We urgently request families who have lost contact with their loved ones to come to the George Civic Centre on York Street. This will enable the Department of Social Development to collect detailed and precise information, ensuring that all records are accurately documented," he said. On Thursday, Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi will be visiting the site.