Kwa-Thema residents demand new police station
The holding cells were shut down by the Human Rights Commission 12 years ago after they were deemed unfit for human habitation.
Kwa-Thema – Enough is enough!
These words were chanted by members of faith-based organisations during a march to hand a memorandum to the Kwa-Thema police commander Colonel Nhlanhla Kunene on Wednesday.
They took to the streets demanding for a new police station to be built as soon as possible.
Twelve years ago the police holding cells were shut down by the Human Rights Commission after they were deemed unfit for human habitation.
In 2017, the Department of Labour submitted a report that the police station was unsafe for the employees to occupy.
The temporary mobile offices, which were meant to house the officers, were vandalised by drug addicts and only a shadow of a structure remains.
Receiving the memorandum, Kunene vowed his continued support for the concerned residents of Kwa-Thema.
“We no longer have a police station, what remains is the name and the walls that might fall on us at any moment. We have since converted the canteen into a charge office and accommodated suspects in Springs and Dunnottar.
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“Rainy days are the hardest, the officers are forced to hold umbrellas inside the offices while opening dockets to protect them from being rained on,” he said.
He added that they have over the years reached out to all the offices of power for help with no success.
“The Minister of Police Bheki Cele and the MEC of Community Safety in Gauteng Faith Mazibuko has been here too and made a commitment to build a new station but nothing has materialised.
“We were informed three years ago that there was an agreement for a land swap between the Department of Public Works and the Ekurhuleni metro, we continue waiting for this too,” he added.
Kunena promised to submit the memorandum to the regional office and residents will receive a response within seven days.
Community leader pastor Solly Ngwenya said the residents of Kwa-Thema deserve a fully functional police station.
“For us to feel safe in this community, we need the police to be fully equipped and work in a safe environment.
“We are concerned that an officer was disarmed by a suspect in an office while she was trying to open a case docket,” he added.
