The station was closed down last week for the second time in less than a month due to the coronavirus. On Friday 26 June, Free State police spokesperson, Thandi Mbambo, briefly confirmed that yet another police officer on the frontlines at the station had tested positive for COVID-19. Mbambo reveals said police station has undergone decontamination and the police officer in question’s contacts have been quarantined. Mbambo thanks the public and Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality for their patience and support during this time.

Free State police management, led by provincial commissioner Baile Motswenyane, thanks the Mangaung Metro for availing the Lesley Monnanyane Hall in Rocklands to be utilised as a temporary base for the community service centre. She also thanked the public at large for their patience, but went on to explain that the “closing of the station/s for decontamination is in line with the government’s guidelines to manage and control the spread of COVID-19. We urge the community members to be patient with us and can assure them that there are contingency plans in place to ensure that policing in their communities continues during these difficult times”.

The Free State, Bloemfontein in particular, is witnessing a rise in the number of public buildings that have had to be closed down for decontamination following confirmed COVID-19 cases. According to the National Health Department, the province has 914 active cases, the bulk of which are in Mangaung, and nine deaths.

The Mangaung police station was the second station in the Free State to be closed following confirmed COVID-19 cases. The other was Batho, around which questions have been raised regarding the accuracy of the tests. This as the clerk working at the latter police station told media, her results were accidentally swapped with those of a Dewetsdorp resident.

OFM News