SHARPEVILLE.- As the country still celebrates Human Rights Month, which is grounded in the remembrance of the Sharpeville Massacre, the Old Sharpeville Police Station heritage site is in shambles.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) said that this is an insult to the selfless victims of the massacre, as well as the residents of Gauteng. DA’s Kingsol Chabalala said that this is because of the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) subsequently stopping the maintenance and operational grant for this precinct.
Chabalala said that this action by the department is denying Sharpeville residents an opportunity to benefit from this facility which has the potential of boosting the local economy and that it can attract investors to create employment opportunities for unemployed residents, particularly the youth.
“This is especially saddening as the country is still celebrating Human Rights month yet the Old Sharpeville Police Station which forms part of the Human Rights precinct in Sharpeville is not properly maintained and not fully operational. This precinct is in dire need of proper regular maintenance. The DA conducted an oversight inspection at the Old Sharpeville Police Station and was disappointed by the terrible state of the infrastructure and environment in general. This is supposed to be a heritage site showcasing the events that happened inside the police station however, Client Services has been turned into a Skills Development Centre and the cells have been turned into classrooms.”