Police station gets a facelift
A special inauguration ceremony was held at Badfontein Police Station held recenctly after Glencore had financed much-needed improvements and renovations to the buildings. Although the Lydenburg Smelter will close in the foreseeable future, the management team set out to finish the projects it had started in the community.
The renovations included the painting of the buildings, new office furniture, upgrades to the bathrooms and work in the garden.
“Louis van Rhyn, works manager of the Glencore Lydenburg Smelter, and his team were our soldiers on the ground and they spearheaded the project. They went beyond the call of duty after it was brought to their attention that the Badfontein area was in dire need of help.
“A police station is a vital service and we listened to the request. We understand how difficult it is for most of the police to work during the Covid-19 pandemic, and not having a functioning station makes it even harder,” said Conroy van der Westhuizen, manager of corporate social investment at Glencore. Van der Westhuizen also addressed the issue of gender-based violence. He described it as a pandemic on its own and said it is especially prevalent in rural communities. The executive mayor of Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, Fridah Nkadimeng, thanked Martin Phetla, ward councillor of the area, and Glencore, who helped to get the station back to its original state.
“Glencore made it possible for the police to perform their duties in a state-of-the-art facility. We also want to thank the landowners and farm owners who took time to clean the gardens and the premises, and always look after the community. Glencore made an invaluable contribution for the next generation and we thank them for their vision and selflessness in creating a nucleus for the community,” Nkadimeng continued. Col Lota Motsileng, station commander of Lydenburg SAPS, said Badfontein Police Station functions as a satellite station for Lydenburg.
This area is 50 kilometres from Machadodorp and 40 kilometres from Lydenburg. It is therefore necessary to have law enforcement at the ready in case of an emergency and to patrol the Kwena Dam area.
