- Years of misery and outcry will soon be a thing of the past for the Makhaza community when a new police station opens in the coming months.
- The station, which has been in the pipeline for many years, is nearing completion.
- The construction work is 90% complete with electricity connection is the only outstanding thing.
Years of misery and outcry will soon be a thing of the past for the Makhaza community when a new police station opens in the coming months.
The station, which has been in the pipeline for many years, is nearing completion.
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said the construction work is 90% complete. Electricity connection is the only outstanding thing. “The date of the official opening will be confirmed as soon as Eskom completes the electricity connection,” said Mathe.
She labelled the current work as phase 1 of the project, interim structures made of vibacrete walls. The second phase will see the construction of brick walls, subsequent structures.
“The professional team for the planning and design phase was appointed and is expected to complete the tender documents by May this year, after which the tender for the appointment of the contractor will be advertised subject to the availability of funding. About R37 million was budgeted for the police station, both for the prefab and boundary wall.”
Mathe added that this is going to be a fully-fledged police station.
Calls for the station have reverberated in the community for years following recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry into Policing in Khayelitsha in 2014.
Chaired by Vusi Pikoli and Judge Kate O’Regan, it investigated claims of police inefficiency in the community and a breakdown in relations between police and the community.
The station will bring to four the number of police stations around Khayelitsha and help thousands of Makhaza residents who had to travel long distances for services.
Commenting on the new station, the Harare Community Policing Forum (CPF) chair Funeka Soldaat said the station construction was long overdue.
She said the newly built station will alleviate the burden on Harare Police Station, which also caters to the area.
“We have temporary structures for now, which is part of phase 1. Then building will start on permanent structures in phase 2. This new station is set to make a huge impact on our society.
“We believe the number of crime incidents in the area will decrease when the station is operational because there will be more officers on the ground.”
Soldaat said it is expected the station to operate at full capacity.
She highlighted carjacking, robbery, gender-based violence and murder, among other crimes, as just some of the many cases reported to the police station in the vicinity.
Soldaat stated that it is up to the community to protect the station and keep the officers accountable to be a fully-fledged police station.
