The North West Provincial Legislature's Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Roads, Community Safety and Transport Management has criticised the state of the Bethanie Police Station.

Chairperson Mmoloki Cwaile said the police station’s holding cells are dilapidated with water leakages from the roof. These are some of the issues discovered by the committee during an oversight from 10 to 13 October. He also raised concerns about the inability of the station to cater for rural safety at nearby farms. He has since pleaded with the provincial Department of Community Safety and Transport Management to help.

“All necessary tools of the trade should be availed and prioritised to allow proper functionality of the station. The station needs to work together with the municipality to look into spaza shops currently owned by foreign nationals to ensure compliance and assist in eradicating illegal foreigners who stay in those shops.”  

A committee of the North West Provincial Legislature has criticised the state of the Bethanie Police Station.

OFM News recently reported residents in the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality recently held a march to the Brits police station to demand an end to farm attacks. This comes after several reports of farm attacks in the province.

However, the community safety committee said the programme aims to strengthen oversight and public participation and promote accountability and transparency in government.

Bethanie Police Station is situated in the municipality and has two sectors that cater to a population of 28,781. The station services the communities of Bethanie, Modikwe, Makolokwe, Barseba, Maumong, and Lekgalong. 

Amongst some of the challenges mentioned was that there is a network problem, where systems are slow to access information, insufficient equipment such as photocopy and fax machines, as well as telephones, holding cells are dilapidated, there are leakages of water on the roof from pipes that supply water inside the cells and no hot water. 

OFM News/Lucky Nkuyane