Kwa-Thema police station is in a state of disrepair due to years of neglect and the station will be forced to shut down as its dysfunctionality is beyond measure and the residents will be severely impacted with no access to police services.
Kwa-Thema SAPS is one of the worst stations in Gauteng. The DA conducted an oversight inspection at the police station as part of the DA’s #GautengPoliceWatch.
The offices, including that of the station commander, have been closed by the Department of Labour which has left the commander with no choice but to share a small office with his secretary.
The holding cells have not been working for 12 years ever since the station was declared unfit for human habitation by the Human Rights Commission.
Detainees are taken to an unsecured office where charges are drawn up before being transported to Dunnottar or Springs Police Stations. In one incident a detainee even grabbed an officer’s gun while she was busy with the paperwork.
This is unacceptable and highly dangerous.
Furthermore, the station canteen has been converted into a Community Service Centre (CSC) to service residents after the CSC was shut down by the Department of Labour. The toilets are out of order, and most of the roof ceilings are damaged and have fallen off.
See photos here, here, here, here and here
Two years ago, there were land swap/donation deal talks between the Department of Public Works and the Municipality but to date, there has been no progress on the issue.
Minister of Police Bheki Cele and the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko cares little about our police station’s infrastructure and the terrible working conditions that our police officers are exposed to on a daily basis.
The DA will continue to put pressure on MEC Mazibuko to engage Minister Cele to prioritize fixing the Kwa-Thema police station. A new building must be found to accommodate the police officers while the department decides on what to do with the old, damaged building. The community of Kwa-Thema cannot afford to not have adequate police services.