No respite for Kwa police

Update

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The National Department of Public Works confirms that it does not intend to do maintenance or repairs at KwaNonqaba Police Station any time soon.

Thami Mchunu of the department responded to queries by the Mossel Bay Advertiser saying: "The facility belongs to the Municipality and is leased to SAPS via NDPW. In terms of the lease agreement NDPW is responsible for maintenance however, client should provide funding for such repairs and renovation."

This follows recent reports that rats gnawed through cabling at the KwaNonqaba Police Station and paralysed the station's online communications for more than a week since 30 May.

Since then, a number of the rats have died on the premises, with the decaying or rotting emitting a fetid smell. This further contributed to unacceptable working conditions at the station.

The KwaNonqaba Police Station serves by far the most densely populated community and the largest geographical area of all police stations in the area.

Crime is most rampant in this area of jurisdiction.

The station is housed in municipal buildings that are wholly unsuitable for their purpose and do not comply with occupational health and safety regulations. The police station is under-resourced, overburdened and does not even have a cell where arrested suspects may be detained.

Even though the building belongs to the Mossel Bay Municipality, the lease agreement with the national Department of Public Works specifies that the responsibility for maintenance and repairs rests with the tenant. The national Department of Public Works, however, now claims that the SAPS should provide the funding for the maintenance. The KwaNonqaba police, however, are so under-resourced that members of the public recently had to donate reams of printing paper as the station had run out of paper.

The national department of public works indicated that it does not intend to do any maintenance at the KwaNonqaba Police Station any time soon.