• The police minister will step in to fix the Kwa-Thema station after it was declared unsafe 14 years ago but never repaired or replaced.

• The station is so damaged that prisoners are kept elsewhere while many detectives share one office and parts of the building are falling apart.

Almost 14 years after it was declared unsafe for human occupation, the Kwa-Thema Police Station is finally being fixed.

This follows Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s intervention to speed up the facelift of the station.

The minister held an online meeting with police chiefs on Sunday after councillors requested updates on rebuilding the station.

The building is falling apart, with over 15 detectives sharing one tiny office. Prisoners must be kept at Springs Police Station because the cells are unusable.

The charge office has broken glass doors covered with plastic, ceilings are collapsing, and security fencing is damaged. One office is packed with old, untouched case files.

“We need the Ekurhuleni council to speed up donating the land to the national government. This will allow the department to carry out maintenance as permitted by Treasury rules,” Mchunu said.

ANC regional convener Jongizizwe Dlabathi promised to push the council to hand over the land quickly.

“We will closely monitor progress until the station is restored to an ideal state of functionality,” he said.

Earlier this month, ActionSA MP and member of the police portfolio in Parliament, Dereleen James, called for the station to be shut down until a permanent solution is found.

Pictured above: Member of parliament for ActionSA and police portfolio Dereleen James station next to the broken glass doors at the charge room.

Source: Doreen Mokgolo