A banner bearing the names of victims of construction site tragedies was left on the steps of the Planning Ministry on Saturday, as activists flagged continued inaction about such incidents. 

Activists gathered following the death of 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia, who died after an incomplete structure on a construction site in Kordin collapsed and buried him under the rubble last December.

Sofia’s family have made repeated calls for the authorities to keep them involved in the investigation into their son’s death, but so far, they say, they have been left in the dark, with the dearth of information tearing the family apart. 

Sofia’s mother, Isabelle Bonnici, is demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Robert Abela to discuss her son’s case. Abela has so far been evasive about whether a public inquiry into the death will be held. 

Planning Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi has met with Bonnici but otherwise not spoken publicly about the case or Sofia's tragic death.

Moviment Graffiti activist Christine Cassar said that the culture of death in construction accidents isn’t going to go away unless the industry stops being led by greed. 

“These are not tragic accidents but the inevitable consequence of a rotten system designed to satisfy the insatiable hunger for profit of developers and other businesses in the construction sector,” she said.

“The deaths of Jean Paul Sofia, Miriam Pace, and all construction workers who perished at their workplace were preventable. Their lives have been sacrificed at the altar of greed.” 

Cassar noted with disappointment that nobody has yet been criminally charged in connection with Sofia’s death. Justice can only be served to victims when systematic failures in the construction industry are identified and addressed effectively, she said.  

“To this end, we support calls for a public inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia since this will go beyond identifying individual responsibility and uncover systemic failures,” Cassar said. 

“Over the past decade, the authorities have green-lighted a building spree in a context that lacks the very basic regulation and enforcement framework protecting workers and residents.”

Despite the government promising reform following the death of Miriam Pace, this has failed to materialise beyond cosmetic changes, she said.

'Four glaring failures' 

Cassar highlighted what she said were four glaring failures:

1. A failure to licence contractors
2. The lack of any building and construction codes
3. The stagnant Building and Construction Authority which is mired in political appointees
4. A failure to introduce broader reform to planning and construction. 

“The failure to reform the deadly construction industry lies in the power of developers to veto any serious measure that can safeguard the people’s safety and quality of life,” Cassar said.

“It is truly shameful and worrying that government is willing to accede to this lobby’s demands instead of protecting the workers and residents in Malta and Gozo.”

“This has to change. We cannot continue sacrificing people’s lives and our quality of life for the quick profits of the few. Justice must be served to the victims of the construction industry and to the people of Malta and Gozo. The sector has to be reformed now.” 

Cousin speaks

A cousin of Sofia’s, a young woman named Maya, also spoke at the event.

She said that the construction industry was leaving behind a trail of victims and broken families behind it.

“We need urgent changes with strong laws and greater enforcement with harsh penalties for whoever does not follow the rules,” she said, as members of Sofia’s family wept silently behind her.

She called for more inspections on construction sites and for a fund to be set up, from construction fees paid by developers, to help the families of victims overcome the legal headaches that come with the heartbreak of losing a loved one in this manner.

“We cannot continue to let the conquest of wealth at any cost with complete disregard for the consequences to rule us,” she said.

“This is why we must unite in one message and call for change in this construction industry that is stained with the blood of our dear Jean Paul and many others like him.”

23 years on, still waiting for compensation

Also speaking at the event was Paul Vella, whose 84-year-old mother Rita died when her home in Cathedral street Sliema collapsed with her inside it.

Despite being awarded damages in 2014 in a civil suit, Vella said that the family has yet to be paid by the parties responsible.

“What happens when something like this happens to you? The authorities brush you off and you end up in court because there is no other way to seek justice,” he said.

“We are coming up on 23 years since my mother died and to this day those fines have not been paid. One contractor has come forward but the architect ignores our lawyer’s correspondence and another contractor changed his address and shuttered his business so we couldn’t find him.”

He called on the authorities to shut down the PA and the BCA and consolidate into a single entity with tighter oversight and transparency.

“I am very sorry for these families because I know all too well that they have no solutions,” Vella said.

“I will keep speaking up for as long as I can but my pain is still there.”

The collapsed building that claimed Sofia’s life was originally going to be a two-storey timber factory, however, last year the Planning Authority approved a development notification order (DNO) that allowed the structure to be extended by another two floors.

A DNO is a form of expedited planning permit often used for relatively minor projects.

However, government rules exempt projects in industrial areas from requiring full planning permits, allowing development to proceed with a DNO.

Sources told Times of Malta last month that expert reports into the incident are still being compiled, indicating that the magisterial inquiry could take months to be concluded, particularly if tests on the building materials used in the project need to be carried out.