Pretoria - A Campaign by the DA to restore power at the Ga-Rankuwa police station gained momentum when at least 100 community members picketed outside the facility in a bid to stop power outages.
Last month, the Pretoria News reported that SAPS officers at the station were forced to work in the dark and use their cellphones at night to provide alternative lighting.
Police were said to be unable to access the 10111 line because of the lack of wi-fi powered by electricity.
On Wednesday night, DA Gauteng MPL Crezane Bosch MPL and party provincial leader Solly Msimanga led a public picket, joined by residents, against the blackout at the station.
Bosch said that police officers were forced to work in the dark from October last year and this was having a negative impact on the services offered by the SAPS.
She said the DA leaders witnessed first-hand the conditions in which police officers were forced to work.
“The police station only has two small solar lamps which do not provide sufficient light for the entire police station. While this police station does have a generator, it is not feasible for the generator to run 24/7 seven days a week. This is because it is too costly and often police officers must dig into their own pockets to buy fuel for the generator,” Bosch said.
She said the generator was used only to power the charge office and the courtyard.
“This is a very disturbing situation as it not only puts the lives of our residents in danger, but also that of the police officers. The police station does not have a reliable supply of electricity and the gates to the station are locked as soon as it becomes dark, which makes reporting any incidents of crime difficult,” she said.
DA PR councillor in Ga-Rankuwa, Ofentse Madzebatela, recently told the Pretoria News that the situation was getting worse by the day.
“They have even started to remove kitchen equipment and I am worried that people are going to lose jobs because of that,” he said.
Power failure at the station was first experienced last year in October following theft of cables feeding electricity from an Eskom substation, which was also damaged.
The matter was previously raised by the DA with the Community Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko.
It was said that the responsibility for electricity infrastructure rested with the National Police Department and the Department of Public Works.
Police were yet to respond to questions regarding the work done so far to restore power at the station.
Pretoria News