Following a request by Ward 35 councillor, Bradly Singh, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson visited the Prestondale Police station in uMhlanga to conduct an oversight visit on Monday, 9 June.
The police station is home to both the South African Police Services (SAPS) and Metro Police.
The visit resulted in concrete agreements to address the challenges faced by the officers at the station. Explaining what motivated him to invite the minister, Singh said: “The prefab building is in poor condition, the security fence is completely gone, and the generator is not working. Critically, the current office spaces are not providing a suitable working environment for our police officers.”
The ward councillor further expressed gratitude towards the minister for his visit, saying: “I want to express immense gratitude to Macpherson and the SAPS for their immediate response and commitment. After I reached out to his office, the Minister was at the station within days. The promise to build a fully operational station as a priority is fantastic news for uMhlanga residents, and we look forward to seeing all these current issues raised will be resolved in just a few weeks.”
Before conducting the oversight visit, Macpherson was already in disbelief and shock at the condition of the police station. He said: “Let me just say that indeed I do have a good history and understanding of this, because people like myself, like the Deputy Provincial Commissioner, the Chairperson of the CPF, we’ve been here for 15 years or so. And it really is quite horrifying to see how it has literally gone from bad to worse.
“And my view as the Minister of Public Works is that no state employee, particularly those in places like the security cluster, education, healthcare, should be forced to work in conditions like this. So that’s my baseline. This can no longer continue to be as it is.”
