R100m upgrade for Muizenberg police station on hold
The Social Justice Coalition have confirmed the planned R100 million upgrade to the Muizenberg Police Station in Cape Town has been halted.
The Social Justice Coalition have confirmed the planned R100 million upgrade to the Muizenberg Police Station in Cape Town has been halted.
The SJC's Chumile Sali said deputy Police Minister Bongani Mkongi announced the stoppage during a meeting connvened by the Khayelitsha Development Forum.
The Public Works Department had confirmed the approval of the big budget for the "super" station earlier this month.
The decision raised several eyebrows, given the need for greater policing and security in crime-ravaged suburbs like Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Vrygrond.
"The majority of people in Vrygrond don’t have cars, so if a crime happens in the middle of the night, they’d have to catch a taxi – and where are the taxis at that time? That’s why most crimes go unreported," said councillor Jerry Gordon.
"I support the upgrade, but why can’t they build a station where the people are? We’ve been asking for one for eight years."
There were 27 murders reported in Muizenberg in 2016, while the same period saw 279 and 161 people killed in Nyanga and Khayelitsha, respectively, according to Statistics SA.
Muizenberg councillor Aimee Kuhn added: 'Where the station is, is a white privileged area the community that needs services, that needs schools and clinics and a police station, is Vrygrond.
'We acknowledge the station needs an upgrade. So we’ve proposed public works upgrades to what the plans were five years ago, and use the rest to upgrade other stations in the cluster so all can benefit.
"The picture that’s being painted is that, as the councillor, I should just sign off and be happy because it’s resources for my ward. But that’s not going to address apartheid spatial planning, which we are being criticised for not addressing it."
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