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- The engineer overseeing the building that collapsed in George was under investigation by the Engineering Council of South Africa.
- The council had recommended Atholl Mitchell be charged with breaches of its code of conduct in February.
- The complaint that led to the investigation was lodged in December 2023.
- For more financial news, go to the News24 Business front page.
Atholl Mitchell, the consulting engineer who was overseeing the construction of the apartment block in George that collapsed a week ago, was under investigation by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) at the time of the deadly incident.
It told News24 its investigating committee had, in February, recommended that Mitchell be charged with "various breaches of the ECSA's code of conduct".
The ECSA regulates the engineering profession in South Africa by accrediting engineering programmes and registering engineers.
The complaint that led to the investigation was lodged in December last year.
The ECSA did not provide any specifics about the complaint, who lodged it, or whether it was related to the George development.
"[This decision] has been accepted by the council and the matter will be heard in due course by ECSA's Tribunal," said spokesperson Basetsana Khoza.
"[The] ECSA's disciplinary proceedings must be allowed to be completed unhindered. [The] ECSA will accordingly not be able to share full particulars of the said complaint until it has been finalised by the Tribunal and the council."
Mitchell has not been found guilty by the ECSA.
He was named as the structural and civil engineer for the collapsed building site by developers Neo Victoria on 8 March.
Mitchell's company, Mitchell and Associates, was also named as the development's principal agents.
Repeated attempts to reach him via his cellphone or email have come to nought.
The death toll at the construction site climbed to 33 by Tuesday afternoon.
READ | George building collapse exposes regulatory gaps, calls for private sector oversight intensify
Khoza said another complaint had been laid against Mitchell in 2020 related to a project he was supervising in 2018 and 2019.
He added the ECSA's investigating committee determined there was insufficient evidence, based on the investigation, to suggest a transgression of the ESCA's code of conduct.
