Waterfront hotel manager Florentina Heaven Popa was identified in a report on Friday as the woman who died when an advertising tower collapsed in Cape Town.

Popa, 32, was originally from Romania and moved to Cape Town six years ago after falling in love with the city.

She had been employed as the training manager at the One&Only Hotel at the Waterfront.

Popa died of severe head injuries and 20 people were injured when an advertising structure outside the Cape Town stadium was toppled by wind before a concert by the United States band Linkin Park on Wednesday night. The concert went ahead.

Mayor Patricia de Lille said the city would set up an independent investigation into the cause of the collapse.

"The investigation will be headed by a structural engineering firm... Once we've received the full report we will make an announcement on the findings and the steps to be taken."

According to the city, the structure had been pre-approved and certified as safe before the event.

De Lille said wind speeds that evening had reached up to 75km per hour.

"It was just one of those nights where women had to hang onto each other."