The Akasia police station in Pretoria North is plagued by numerous challenges, including a non-functional telephone line, inadequate ablution facilities, and a severe shortage of vehicles.

Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga said the station is supposed to have 24 vehicles, but currently has only five operational vehicles for visible policing, covering a massive 152 square kilometre area.

He was part of the DA leadership that discovered the facility’s dire condition during an oversight visit on Thursday. 

Msimanga revealed that one vehicle has been at a panel beater for 428 days, exacerbating the station’s vehicle shortage. 

“This police station initially is supposed to have 24 vehicles, but as things stand, they only have 11 and of those 11, some are trucks which cannot be used for visible policing,” he said.

He also lamented the low morale among the station’s workforce, citing overcrowding and inadequate accommodation for personnel. 

“There is no telephone line and they are forced to use their cellphones,” he said. 

The station visit is part of the DA’s crime campaign, which will run for about a month or two.

After the campaign, the DA will compile a dossier outlining proposals for Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, highlighting issues like poor infrastructure. 

Msimanga commended the police officers, saying they are dedicated but being let down by systemic failures.

“We are dealing with such issues where the facility itself does not have a holding cell,” he said.

The lack of a holding cell at the station recently came to light through Lesufi’s written responses to parliamentary questions posed by Crezane Bosch, the DA’s Gauteng shadow MEC for Community Safety at the Gauteng Legislature.

Bosch had posed questions to investigate the state of Gauteng’s police stations, focusing on vacancies and plans for filling posts. 

She expressed concern over the station’s high crime rate, which places it among the 40 stations with elevated rates of serious community-reported crimes, and suggested that the absence of holding cells might be hindering its ability to effectively reduce crime.

During the Thursday visit, she said: “The minute they (police) have to detain someone they would have to transport them to a different police station that does have holding cells, but if that police station’s holding cell is full because of the detainees, they have to try and identify a different police station.”

Lesufi revealed openings for detective service commanders due to promotions, but vacancies will be addressed through appointment or promotion processes once post allocation is received from the national head office.

The DA plans to engage with business people, rape victims, and everyday citizens as part of the crime campaign. 

“We decided that the important thing is to start with the police themselves,” Msimanga said.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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