Pretoria Central police station personnel’s health, as well as the health of suspects, is in the spotlight after the oversight inspection by Democratic Alliance (DA).
The DA conducted an oversight inspection at the police station yesterday on Monday after several complaints of hazardous conditions were reported to the party.
DA spokesperson for infrastructure development Nico de Jager said the old building was in a terrible state due to poor planning and lack of regular and proper maintenance.
“There is mould and leakages in the underground parking and towards the holding cells,” said de Jager.
It is reported that several complaints have been made to the SAPS provincial commissioner and the Department of Public Works, yet very little had been done.
However, when maintenance has been done by the Public Works Department, it is allegedly temporary patch-work instead of a long-term solution.
De Jager said the environment was not conducive to work in, and that the personnel at the police station had become a causality of the government’s incompetence over the years as this was said to be a reoccurring issue.
“Yesterday, 21 suspects in the holding cells had to be shifted to a nearby police station due to sewerage flowing in the passages leading to the cells,” he said.
“This becomes an inconvenience to the frustrated staff as it takes away human resources because they must move all the arrested suspects to be booked again at the nearest police station.”
De Jager said his party will continue to put pressure on the Gauteng MEC of Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko to engage her national counterpart in Public Works to ensure that there was regular and proper maintenance of this police station, and all police stations across the province.
