Concern over dilapidated and abandoned police stations in Vanderbijlpark, Evaton
The Gauteng Portfolio Committee on Community Safety has revealed that both the Vanderbijlpark and Evaton police stations are operating without holding cells.
The committee visited the two police stations on Thursday ahead of Premier David Makhura’s State of the Province Address.
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Chairperson of the portfolio committee Mapiti Matsena says the two buildings supposed to house the police stations were abandoned and dilapidated.
“The problem with the Vanderbijlpark one is that there are some building renovations which includes among other renovation of the holding cells, the project was abandoned by the previous contractor.
“We are a new committee established from May last year, we have identified certain police stations…and Vanderbijlpark was one of them including Evaton. The Evaton police station, we realised that the police station in itself isn’t fit to be a police station and currently the police are complaining that there are no holding cells, and it is hampering with their work.”
Suspects arrested in Vanderbijlpark and Evaton are being detained at Sebokeng Police Station due to the lack of holdings cells.
The committee is set to meet with Community Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko and the provincial police commissioner Elias Mawela in an attempt to speed up construction.
“We have urged the MEC and police commissioner just to ensure that they speed up the process of ensuring that a new service provider in Vanderbijlpark is appointed and again, the process to build a new police station for Evaton is speeded up,” says Matsena.