The Akasia police station in Pretoria, ranked among the top 40 stations with high serious crime rates, operates without a holding cell.

This information came to light through Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s written responses to parliamentary questions by Crezane Bosch, the DA’s Gauteng shadow MEC for Community Safety.

Bosch posed questions to inquire about the state of police stations in Gauteng, specifically asking about vacancies and plans to fill the posts.

The 2024/2025 police crime statistics report shows that the Akasia police station is among the 40 stations with high rates of community-reported serious crimes, including sexual offences and attempted murder.

Bosch expressed concern that the high rate of serious crimes at the station should not be ignored, suggesting a potential link between the absence of holding cells and the station’s effectiveness in reducing crime.

She said: “The DA has repeatedly urged the Premier Lesufi-led government to focus on the fundamentals of policing to effectively combat crime and ensure residents safety. Despite this, millions have been wasted on high-tech solutions including CCTV cameras and drones, while essential resources, such as police vehicles and holding cells are lacking.”

She said a DA-led Gauteng provincial government would work within the legal framework to facilitate the upgrading and construction of holding cells through intergovernmental cooperation.

“This includes lobbying for the devolution of key policing powers to capable provinces, allowing them to manage and improve critical safety infrastructure. We would also engage SAPS and National Treasury to obtain the necessary approvals and formal agreements for co-funding and supporting infrastructure projects in key priority areas,” Bosch said.

She noted that 24 of the 145 police stations in Gauteng lack holding cells, hindering their ability to effectively combat serious and violent crimes.

“The shortage leads to delays in detaining and processing suspects, which hampers investigations and allows criminal activity to persist. The deficiency also hinders police effectiveness, leaving our people vulnerable to crime,” she said.

Lesufi’s responses indicated that the maintenance of police stations, including the provision of holding cells, falls under the responsibility of the national Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

He disclosed that other police stations, including Mohlakeng and Cleveland, which are also among the top 40 in Gauteng for serious crimes, lack functional holding cells.

Bosch said: “It is concerning that a police station would lack a holding cell, forcing officers to travel long distances to detain suspects at other stations already experiencing overcrowding.” 

She expressed further concern that police stations without holding cells are disproportionately represented in the recent crime statistics for serious community-reported crimes, including murder, attempted murder, rape, and assault.

Lesufi’s responses to questions about vacant positions revealed that there are openings for detective service commanders following promotions of previous incumbents.

Regarding plans to fill positions, he said: “The vacancies will be addressed through the appointment/or promotion processes once the post allocation is received from the National Head Office. Critical and command vacancies will be prioritised. It remains unclear how many posts will be advertised due to the budgetary constraints on the compensation budget imposed by National Treasury.”

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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