VANDERBIJLPARK – Next time you have an emergency and call the police in Sedibeng and they do not arrive, do not blame the poor officers as their non-arrival will not be of their own doing.
Rather, the finger needs to be pointed straight at regional police management as dozens of police vehicles remain stuck at different police stations across Sedibeng simply because there is inadequate staff in the procurement division of the police to ensure the cars have proper tyres.
Ster South has learnt that more than 20 vehicles in the Sedibeng District Cluster have been left idle by the boys and girls in blue who refuse to pump tyres at least every 30 minutes of their shift.
A senior officer at one of the 14 police stations told the paper that there is only one procurement officer, based at Sebokeng police station, who has to process a pile of procurement documents for the vehicles.
Besides the heavy workload she has to work with, the SAPS provincial office continues to return the applications submitted for tyre purchases of vehicle service.
One officer complained to Ster South about the convoluted process which has led to some officers driving marked vehicles with worn-out tyres or play consistent visitations to nearby garages.
“Even petrol attendants know us now. Every day, every shift, police on duty know they should begin by inflating a tire or two. We have reported these issues to our superiors and it seems like our requests fall on deaf ears,” she said.
A manager at one of the police stations said the safety of their officers is in danger.
“My officers are under constant scrutiny from the public. If they don’t get backlash that they are not working, they are exposed to harm. Who attends to crime on paap tyres?” asked the frustrated station commander.
“This problem is getting out of hand. We are already deemed as though we don’t work for our communities, and now with this headache, it gets even worse. Service delivery is hindered and this is honestly exhausting because we tried to report the matter to the provincial officer and nothing has happened,” he said.
Meanwhile, in an ironic twist, two officers found themselves driving into a live robbery as they were on their way to pump a tyre.
On November 12, 2023, two sergeants from Vanderbijlpark were on patrol when they went into a petrol station and were met by a hail of bullets.
According to a report seen by Ster South, the officers were driving a marked Toyota Hilux on the Golden Highway.
When they entered Shell Garage opposite Joko Tea informal settlement, a group of about five suspects opened fire on them.
The vehicle was shot at and damaged by the suspects who fled on foot into the maze of shacks.
“We are lucky that we didn’t get hit by the bullets. The next officers who will go through what we went through due to flat and worn-out tyres won’t be as lucky. We hope this matter gets resolved before something major happens to us,” one of the officers told Ster South.
Gauteng provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said: “The Provincial Office is not aware of any problems of tyre procurement in the Sedibeng District. Our records show that the tyres for police vehicles are procured in time, and the procurement procedure is being followed. There is no hampering of service delivery due to the servicing of police vehicles in Sedibeng District.”
