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Recent oversight inspections of SAPS facilities, conducted as part of a KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Legislature programme, have lifted the lid on the crumbling state and virtual collapse of police stations in the province.

During the two-day visits, it was established that some SAPS stations in KZN do not have any vehicles or officers to respond to crime. Other stations visited were found to be completely uninhabitable, with massive infrastructure challenges.

Issues identified by the DA include;
Infrastructure;
• Empangeni Dog Unit Holding cells are in an atrocious condition with no regard for basic human rights with 20 prisoners in a cell designed to accommodate 12 people. (view here) Kennels are in a shocking state, leaking and needing urgent repairs
· Kwamakhutha SAPS – Buildings are old and falling apart without enough room except in the case of the victim support which is well-run.
· Uthukela- Amangwe - The station is 95% made up of park homes
· Kokstad SAPS – This station has no proper infrastructure or space
· Dududu SAPS - Conditions at this facility are horrific
· Hibberdene SAPS - No maintenance at all with no fire extinguishers provided
· Taylor’s Halt SAPS – Consists of park homes erected in 1994 which are now dilapidated. There are rats everywhere, toilets do not function, there is no kitchen and no water (view here)
· Umlazi SAPS – The holding cells closed due to plumbing issues and;
Otsikeni-SAPS – No proper road infrastructure and station has no network. Phones are always down which make it difficult for the community to call for help and;
Bergville SAPS - Generator still not working.

Capacity;
· Uthukela- Amangwe – The Mayor and Speaker’s bodyguards have more high-power weapons than the entire police station
· Amangwe – There are only five officers per shift which is no match for the fire power of stock theft and vehicle theft criminals. There is also no backup available while there are only holding cells and no detention cells
* Taylor’s Halt SAPS - No holding cells and no victim support centre
· Ntambanana SAPS – Two detectives with at least 100 dockets each, most of which are serious murder and stock theft cases
· Plessislaer SAPS – ongoing problem station despite the fact that it covers a vast area and;
· Bergville SAPS - staff complement is 40, which is 14 short. No officers for crime prevention.

Vehicles;
· Uthukela- Amangwe SAPS – The state tow truck is broken down so stolen cars are simply parked and left here. (view here) Of the 10 SAPS vehicles allocated, only two work. One vehicle has been waiting six months for part
Franklin SAPS – There are vehicles with more than 500 000 km in mileage
Otsikeni- no proper road infrastructure and the Station has no network. The phones are always down which make it difficult for the community to call the station. Kwamakhutha SAPS does not have enough cars while at Ntambanana there is one old vehicle for the detective and;
· Bergville SAPS - Vehicles are not conducive to the terrain. One vehicle has been in the SAPS garage for 155 days, another for 124 days and yet another for 77 days. The vehicle used to transport prisoners is broken down while repairs are allocated to back street mechanics.

The DA is extremely concerned by these findings which show clearly that conditions for SAPS in our province are an utter disgrace. This is the very organisation tasked with the critical job of protecting citizens, yet it has been neglected to such an extent that it is almost completely ineffective.

This begs the question – how does government expect these men and women to do their jobs properly when they do not even have the necessary tools of trade? If anything, the July 2021 riots should serve as a reminder to this ANC-led government of what can happen when law enforcement is not prioritised.

There can be no hope of reducing crime when this is what our SAPS has become and while criminals have more resources than officers themselves. The outcome of this is that our communities will continue to be burdened by high crime rates and that they will continue to take matters into their own hands to protect their own.

Alarmingly, most of the issues identified during the oversights are not new. They are the same ones that are seen every year during these visits. This is a strong indication that key departments responsible for maintenance of government facilities are fast asleep on the job. This is a clear failure to deliver on their mandate.

Regrettably, this week’s visits have also confirmed what the DA has been warning this ANC-run provincial government for years and which has fallen on deaf ears.

The DA today calls on KZN Community Safety MEC, Peggy Nkonyeni, to fight for the rights of our men and women in blue. If she and the province’s political leadership are serious about the safety of KZN’s people, then they must ensure that funds are provided to restore dignity to our law enforcement members.

Issued by Chief Whip to the DA in the KZN Legislature, Zwakele Mncwango, MPL