Marble Hall police holding cells in appalling conditions
MARBLE HALL – Following an oversight conducted recently at the Marble Hall police station, the Democratic Alliance (DA) announced that it has written to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) over the inhumane conditions at the facility.
The DA said it has lodged a complaint with the SAHRC to request an urgent investigation into the inhumane condition of the Marble Hall police station.
The party indicated that an oversight inspection to the holding cells revealed a situation which needed urgent attention.
According to the DA, the condition of the toilet and shower facilities at the cells are disgusting, with raw sewerage running around the back and front of the cells and into the Magistrates Court next door with an overwhelming stench.
Lindy Wilson, DA Political Head for Citrus Valley Constituency, said the cold and dark cells were not fit for use in their current condition, and that the shower facilities were not acceptable.
Wilson further said that officials from the station who assisted the DA during the oversight advised that numerous requests had been made to improve the facilities but to date, no assistance had been forthcoming from the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“Dockets were piled high on detective’s desks and are not being attended to, apparently due to insufficient police vehicles available for investigations. Serious crimes are not being attended to effectively and as a result, victims of crime are being denied justice. The front door of the station, which is glass, has been broken for months and is held together with masking tape. This leaves officers at the front desk extremely vulnerable and insecure,” explained Wilson.
She added it was for those reasons, and many more, that the DA was calling for the dismissal Police Minister, Bheki Cele.
“The incompetence and failure of SAPS starts at the top and Minister Cele has proved continuously that he is not up to the task,” concluded Wilson.
Attempts to get comment from Limpopo provincial police were not successful at the time of going to press.
