The long-awaited police station in Makhaza will be operational soon, with prefabs already built.
Khayelitsha residents had been protesting for a new police station for years, supported by the finding of a commission of inquiry more than 10 years ago.
In August last year, Police Minister Bheki Cele, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile and Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen went to the vacant site for a sod-turning event.
On Tuesday, the same team went to check on the progress of the new cop shop as well as a new station in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain, but first Cele handed over nine new vehicles to the Makhaza Community Policing Forum (CPF) as part of a national rollout.
Masemola said the cars are “tools of the trade” for the CPF and was purchased with the R70 million budget that was made available by national government.
Cele says he was happy with the progress of the stations: “What is holding us back is mortar, which the City will have to help with and electricity that Eskom must assist with. The community will get what they called their government to provide.
“We started in Tafelsig and there is earthworks happening, we were told that the police station will be brick and mortar by 2026.”
Allen said authorities have come to realise that a police station in any area represents safety to the residents.
Allen says: “We also know that the station in Tafelsig will alleviate some of the pressures faced in the Mitchells Plain area.”
Western Cape CPF board chairperson, Francina Lukas, said they were happy to receive the resources they had been asking for.
Lukas says: “We are the community volunteers, we do this out of love. What we want to see is a safer community and we are actively part of realising the safer community we want. This is a start, it should not just end here, next year we want a bigger allocation.”
She said they would also like a stipend for CPF members.
Ward councillor, Lucky Mbiza, adds: “We are happy that the community didn’t disturb the construction of the temporary buildings. The structure is not permanent and we were promised a brick and mortar police station, but we are grateful for the progress that has been made.”
He warned the CPF members not to take their new vehicles for joyrides: “We hear a lot of cases where police vehicles are seen visiting places they shouldn’t.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za