‘How long must we wait?’ – Isabelle Bonnici speaks out after Paceville collapse

Updated 2.30pm

The mother of construction site victim Jean Paul Sofia has decried the shocking building collapse in Paceville and called on everyone “to unite and make sure our children don’t keep dying”.

In a post on Facebook on Thursday morning, Isabelle Bonnici said the collapse of Tania Flats was “another tragedy that further breaks my already broken heart”.

The multi-storey apartment block on Triq Paceville collapsed at around 10.30pm on Wednesday night, just hours after its 32 residents were evacuated. No one was injured. The building is next door to a construction site which had been served with a stop works notice the day before.

“Now what’s going to happen? Will whoever is responsible face the consequences for the great damage they’ve caused, or will everything be forgotten by next week just because no one died?” Bonnici added.

“Where is the seriousness and discipline? Did we really have to wait until everything collapsed? Were we not capable of making sure that things were done properly, step by step, so that no one would suffer?”

In a statement, Momentum chairperson Arnold Cassola thanked the BCA, OHSA and architects for averting a tragedy of “gigantic proportions”, adding this was however only thanks to the initiative of one of the residents who had alerted the authorities.

“This should never have been allowed in the first place. The right to safety and to enjoy one's residence is guaranteed by the constitution,” Cassola said.

He added that this incident highlighted “a glaring hypocrisy” as reforms in the construction industry are “dead slow” while other “politically useful” reforms such as that of magisterial inquiries were fast-tracked.

“We have been promised many reforms, yet very little changes on the ground, leaving residents to bear the risk. How long are these cowboy contractors going to be allowed to do whatever they want?” Cassola said.

Momentum added “immediate legal action” should be taken irrespective of who the contractor is.

Property lawyer Sabine Agius Cabourdin said the incident raises some important questions about the construction industry.

“Are condition reports being followed up? Are method statements being enforced and monitored? Are we treating these documents as active safeguards, or just ticking boxes and shelving them?” she said in a Facebook post.

“We can no longer afford passive paperwork. Prevention must be built into the process. Enforcement of laws and fines for non-compliance must be timely and real.”

Moviment Graffitti said the loss of lives on construction sites and residents living in fear inside their homes is “the result of a defective democracy”.

In a Facebook post, the activist group said this was a reflection of a “broken system where the profit of a few and their rush to make money outweigh the common good and, even worse, people’s lives”.

Graffitti highlighted outstanding issues in the construction sector that need to be addressed including building and construction codes that have not come into effect; a "superficial" licensing system for contractors; serious lack of enforcement; planning permits being handed out "like pastizzi" by the Planning Authority.

They also pointed out that the authorities who are meant to regulate the sector lack independence and transparency.

'Government dragging its feet'

In a statement, the Nationalist Party called the collapse “testimony that we have not yet learned from the mistakes of the past”. 

Accusing the government of “dragging its feet” in implementing the recommendations from the Jean Paul Sofia inquiry, the PN said the collapse was “yet another warning about the state of this sector”.  

“After the many tragedies that have occurred, and despite the recommendations made in the Sofia inquiry, it seems we are still far from having the peace of mind one would expect in a European country,” the party said.  

“Had it not been for the residents themselves who took action, today we could have woken up to the horrifying news of the loss of some 30 lives.” 

While acknowledging ongoing investigations into the collapse, the PN said it could have had “much worse consequences due to the weakness of the preventive systems in the construction sector”. 

“The authorities must ensure that all lessons are drawn from this accident... including the seriousness with which method statements and condition reports are assessed, as well as the immediacy of response and the processing of reports.” 

It insisted that all findings from BCA and OHSA investigations into the collapse be published and used to update construction-related practices. 

The party said that in government it would ensure “preventive systems are far less bureaucratic, far less fragmented, and far more effective and efficient” through increased monitoring, report processing and investment. 

“People’s quality of life should be based on the peace of mind that their home is a safe place”, the PN concluded, while thanking the police and Civil Protection Malta.  

The statement was signed by Shadow Planning Minister Stanley Zammit, Shadow Home Affairs Minister Darren Carabott and Shadow Minister for Primary Care Ian Vassallo.