Compliance and Enforcement Challenges in the National Building Regulations’ Processes of South Africa

The chapter discusses the compliance and enforcement processes of the National Building
Regulations of South Africa. These processes are administered by the National Regulator for
Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) in terms of the National Building Regulations and Building
Standards Act 103 of 1977 (The Act). The objective was to investigate the how the business
processes by the NRCS have enforced Building Control Officers at the Local Authorities nationwide to
comply with the safety of buildings for building occupants or end-users. The investigation was largely
motivated by the high number of injuries, deaths and/or human lives affected and reported due to
collapsing and defective buildings. It was a case study based on disasters occurred and reported at
various Local Authorities, in private residential homes, government-owned buildings, abandoned and
commercial buildings, such as shopping malls. This study was conducted using discussions and
survey with affected stakeholders. The stakeholders ranged from building owners, prospective
building owners and/or building occupants, built-environment practitioners, Local Authorities’ Building
Control Officers and the Regulator. The relevant information was gathered in an ethical manner and
for the intended study only. The empirical findings revealed that there was a critical need for business
process review and strategy shifts that advance objectivity and benefits to compliance, visibility and
awareness of regulatory process. The output is a proposed re-design of NRCS business processes
that can effectively enforce compliance of the building regulations of South Africa.