Relative tells of desperate struggle to rescue victims of deadly Doornkop house collapse

When Dudu Zwane heard a thundering crash in the early hours of Sunday, 28 December 2025, in Block 1, Doornkop, Soweto, she thought a truck had crashed into a neighbouring house.

Her partner rushed outside and returned to say that her grandmother’s house had collapsed.

“We ran closer, stumbling through the dark,” Zwane said. “That’s when we heard the screams. People were trapped inside.”

Zwane said another relative, Zweli, who lived in a structure in the yard, had forced his way into the wreckage, clawing through debris in a desperate attempt to reach those who were trapped.

Zwane said she tried to follow, but Zweli shouted for her to stay away. Moments later, there was a second collapse.

“If I hadn’t stepped back, I wouldn’t be here,” Zwane said.

The two-storey house had collapsed, killing three occupants: Hlonophile Xaba (60), her daughter Nqobile Xaba (24) and one-year-old granddaughter Langelihle Xaba. The Council for the Built Environment (CBE) is investigating.

The morning of the disaster, Zwane said they shouted to those trapped under the rubble.

“We were hopeful,” she said. “We’d asked them to throw the youngest child out, but they couldn’t because they were pinned. Granny [Hlonophile Xaba] was still trapped, with her visible hands twitching beneath a slab of concrete.”

Another resident managed to extract a four-year-old child and a 19-year-old from the rubble.

Frustration

Zwane said she called for an ambulance, which never arrived. She then went to the Snake Park police station.

“We waited. When they finally spoke to us, they told us not to come to the station next time, just [to] call 1023,” she said. “I showed them my phone. I had called. No one had answered the 1023 emergency number. I was told that the police don’t usually respond to calls from this part of Snake Park.”

Zwane told the officers at the police station that she would walk to the fire station to summon assistance. Only then did they dispatch officers to the house while Zwane walked to the fire station.

When Zwane returned with paramedics, it was nearly 3am. By that time members of the community had gathered at the house.

“Granny was trapped closest to the door, which suggests she was caught while trying to flee,” Zwane said. “It took hours to free her. She was pulled out around 5am. The first body to be recovered was that of the one-year-old. Then came 24-year-old Nqobile, Granny’s daughter.”

Apart from the Snake Park Clinic offering Zweli sleeping pills because he complained of having sleepless nights, the family has not received any formal counselling.

Daily Maverick tried confirming the account with Snake Park police station, but its phones did not appear to be working.

Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Mavela Masondo said: “That incident was an accident. The family was supposed to report it to emergency medical services, not the police. It is like when a house is on fire, the first call must be to emergency medical services.”

Daily Maverick was unable to reach Snake Park Clinic to request for comment as the phones rang unanswered. The Gauteng Department of Health did not respond to questions.

Investigation

Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson expressed the government’s condolences to the victims and their families and ordered an investigation.

This week, the CBE confirmed to Daily Maverick that it had received Macpherson’s directive to investigate the incident.

“We also confirm that at this stage, the process is in its early phases, which include determining the scope and framework of the investigation, and coordination with the City of Johannesburg, other government authorities and stakeholders,” said CBE CEO Dr Msizi Myeza.

Read more: Public Works Minister Macpherson orders probe after three killed in Soweto building collapse

The CBE said its probe would be part of a broader investigation, including the December 2025 River Ranch Temple collapse in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal, which killed five people.

Following this incident, Macpherson promised reforms to building regulations.

“This will require legislative reforms, so it will not be a process that takes place within a few weeks,” said Macpherson’s spokesperson, James de Villiers.

Regarding the Doornkop incident, Myeza said: “A realistic timeline for the finalisation of a report will be clearer once the initial investigative phases are concluded. The CBE will provide updates as the process progresses.”

Daily Maverick has established that the house had several owners over the years, each of whom made modifications to the building’s structure.

Gundo Maswime, a civil engineering lecturer at the University of Cape Town, told SABC that the most likely cause of the collapse was “crib-loading” issues, with the structure failing to carry a load over time, possibly because of modifications.

He said that to extend or make modifications to a building, a proposal showing the planned alterations must be submitted to the municipal council, and the contractor must be accredited with the National Home Builders Registration Council. A registered engineer must sign off on the plans.

“In many instances, there are people who evade the municipal council — the plan goes to the builder, and they just start building,” Maswime said.

‘Residents keep returning’

Ward 129 councillor Phumlile Shange said residents had previously been relocated from the area, as it is dolomitic land, which is susceptible to subsidence and the formation of sinkholes.

“The government of the day has removed people from here and reallocated them in Tshepisong,” Shange said.

Over time, the residents had returned.

“We hold meetings, and I tell them that they will be removed because this area is dolomitic and ineligible for occupation,” Shange said.

She said the house that collapsed “was not approved. They never even applied. They never did anything”.

The three victims were buried on Saturday, 3 January. DM