KZN police station to reopen after officer tested positive for Covid-19

The Inanda Police Station in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) will reopen on Thursday after temporarily closing down when an officer tested positive for Covid-19.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Vishnu Naidoo said the officer was currently in hospital and confirmed that a further 140 members from the station had also been tested for the virus.

SABC reported that Naidoo said a temporary community service centre had been set up next to the station after it was closed for decontamination.

Last month, the Hermanus Police Station in the Overberg closed after a police officer at the station tested positive for the virus.

This was the second police officer in the Western Cape to contract the virus as the first reported case was of a police officer at the Athlone police station.

Naidoo said community service operations were not affected while the Hermanus police station went through a process of being decontaminated.

Meanwhile, Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga tested positive for Covid-19, Naidoo confirmed on Wednesday.

Naidoo said the police and the department of health have embarked on a process to trace all those who were in contact with Ntshinga.

The police confirmed the news after News24 had sent questions on Monday to verify reports, following an apparent evacuation of hundreds of employees from the SAPS provincial headquarters outside King William’s Town.

Naidoo confirmed the decontamination of the provincial office in Zwelitsha.

He said Ntshinga, a top cop with stints as head of the Hawks in the Free State and Northern Cape, had placed herself in self-isolation.

“As a precautionary measure, the SAPS in collaboration with other relevant roleplayers, including the department of health, have embarked on a process to trace all those who may have had close contact with the lieutenant general, in order to undergo the necessary screening and testing processes,” the spokesperson said.

Naidoo said Ntshinga had received her diagnosis over the weekend after voluntarily undergoing a test, despite being asymptomatic.

“At the time of testing, Lieutenant General Ntshinga had not experienced any illness, but chose to undergo the test as a precaution to ensure the safety, good health and wellbeing of herself and those around her,” he said.

(Compiled by Molefe Seeletsa. Additional reporting News24)

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