Saulsville police station a waste of money
People responsible for the building of a R53 million police station in Saulsville and having it demolished ten years later should take responsibility.
The Saulsville police station that has been a drug hub for ten years was a waste of money, says the DA.
The police station that was built in 2005 at a cost of R53 million and remained unused until it was demolished two months ago after being taken over by criminals as a rendezvous point for drug peddlers and those seeking a fix.
DA mayoral candidate, Solly Msimanga said the R53 million could have been used to make the community safer, but instead was thrown away by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Msimanga, accompanied by DA Gauteng leader John Moodey, recently visited the site of the demolished police station in Saulsville.
“Before it was broken down, the police station had contributed to crime in the area,” Msimanga said.
He said drug dealers and vagrants had stripped off parts of the building to sell. For ten years, residents of Saulsville had traveled to the Atteridgeville police station to report crime because their station stood empty.
Msimanga said Saulsville residents complained their area had no police visibility, resulting in a spike in crime.
He quoted the following crime statistics for the Atteridgeville police area to illustrate his point:
• Murder increased by 62.5% since 2013/14 – 39 people were murdered in 2014/15;
• Attempted murder increased by 78.7% since 2013/14 – 108 cases were reported in 2014/15;
• Common robbery increased by 42.4% since 2013/14 – with 245 cases reported in 2014/15;
• There were 716 residential burglaries reported in 2014/15 – an increase of 17.6% from 2013/14; and
• There were 75 cases of car-jacking reported in 2014/15 – an increase of 80.5% from 2013/14.
“It is clear from these stats that residents in Saulsville and other areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Atteridgeville police station are under siege by criminals,” Msimanga said.
He accused the leadership of the SAPS for not doing anything about the situation that left residents fearing for their lives… refusing to leave their homes after dark too.
Msimanga said the R53 million wasted by the SAPS to build the white elephant, could have been used to increase police resources for the area.
“Questions on Saulsville police station posed in 2013 to former Police Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa’s office were referred to recently axed national police spokesperson Solomon Makgale, who failed to respond,” said Msimanga.
He said that the police leadership had known about the unoccupied Saulsville station but had taken no action over the past ten years showed they did not care about the safety of the community.
“While crime has escalated in the area, the police allowed a building that cost R53 million to fall into ruin and have now simply demolished it despite there being a serious need for a police station in the area,” he said.
“It is critical that whoever is responsible for this waste of public money is held accountable and that the SAPS presents a plan to bring down crime in Saulsville.”
Msimanga said he would write to the Gauteng police commissioner Lt-General Lesetja Mothiba to request an urgent investigation into this matter.
He said that if Mothiba failed to respond within a week, he would escalate his request to Police Minister Nathi Nhleko and acting national police commissioner Lt-General Khomotso Phahlane to ensure those responsible for wasting public money were held responsible.
“We will not allow the SAPS to sweep this matter under the carpet by simply demolishing the police station and acting as if it never existed,” Msimanga concluded.
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