Buffalo City Metro (BCM) council is demanding that two building control officers be appointed to assist with speeding up the metro’s lethargic plan approval system.
The metro is also not keeping within the boundaries of national building law.
Development and alterations have been affected and the metro has admitted that the staff shortage and associated problems with plan approval have led to litigation.
In a report tabled at the city council meeting last month, the metro was urged by its lawyers to ensure that the building control officers were appointed as soon as possible. The report states that this was “in order to comply with the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Acts”.
The report compiled by the interim municipal manager, Nceba Ncunyana, states that the metro has found itself at the centre of court disputes between neighbours which have been caused by the gap in BCM’s building planning and inspection system.
He wrote that residents are going to court to demand that plans be set aside because they were approved by building officers who did not have the authority to sign them off. This power resides with the chief building inspector.
No explanation was given as to why building control officers were signing off the plans.
The system is supposed to see building inspectors sending their recommendations to a building control officer who, in turn, passes them on to the chief building inspector to be signed off.
However, Ncunyana said Cape Town, Ethekweni, and Johannesburg have delegated the signing power of building plans to a chief building inspector.
The minimum qualifications for a building control officer is a senior certificate plus three years’ tertiary education in building disciplines such as civil engineering, structural engineering, architecture, building management and quantity surveying.
The report suggests that two district building inspectors working in the building control unit be considered for appointment as building control officers.
“It must be noted that there will be no need to create new posts apart from enabling current district building inspectors to make recommendations at no extra cost.” — arethal@dispatch.co.za
BCM demands more building control staff
The metro is also not keeping within the boundaries of national building law.
Development and alterations have been affected and the metro has admitted that the staff shortage and associated problems with plan approval have led to litigation.
In a report tabled at the city council meeting last month, the metro was urged by its lawyers to ensure that the building control officers were appointed as soon as possible. The report states that this was “in order to comply with the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Acts”.
The report compiled by the interim municipal manager, Nceba Ncunyana, states that the metro has found itself at the centre of court disputes between neighbours which have been caused by the gap in BCM’s building planning and inspection system.
He wrote that residents are going to court to demand that plans be set aside because they were approved by building officers who did not have the authority to sign them off. This power resides with the chief building inspector.
No explanation was given as to why building control officers were signing off the plans.
The system is supposed to see building inspectors sending their recommendations to a building control officer who, in turn, passes them on to the chief building inspector to be signed off.
However, Ncunyana said Cape Town, Ethekweni, and Johannesburg have delegated the signing power of building plans to a chief building inspector.
The minimum qualifications for a building control officer is a senior certificate plus three years’ tertiary education in building disciplines such as civil engineering, structural engineering, architecture, building management and quantity surveying.
The report suggests that two district building inspectors working in the building control unit be considered for appointment as building control officers.
“It must be noted that there will be no need to create new posts apart from enabling current district building inspectors to make recommendations at no extra cost.” — arethal@dispatch.co.za
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