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Dibete Police Station to be demolished

Dibete Police Station. PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Dibete Police Station. PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO

Dibete Police Station, which was ordered to be closed in 2018 to avoid an imminent disaster and threat to the lives of officers and the public, will be demolished and reconstructed.

Defence and Security Minister, Kagiso Mmusi recently told Parliament following a question asked by Member of Parliament (MP) for Ngami, Carter Hikuama, who sought the minister to update the House on the state of the long-closed police building and the exact causes of not using it. Moreover, Hikuama wanted to know what the ministry was doing to ensure that the building was functional and served its initial purpose, details of specific plans, and time set for the renovation and how the closure has impacted service provision to the public. The Ngami MP also wanted to know how the closure has impacted service provision to the public, the performance of police officers looking at issues of productivity and morale of officers.

He also wanted to ascertain whether if it would be wrong to conclude that government doesn't care about both police officers and the public who are meant to use the facility. The multimillion-pula building, officially opened back in May 2008, was ordered to close a decade later due to severe dilapidation, with cracked walls and floors. The structure's dangerous condition became evident when suspects were allegedly trapped in holding cells, as the doors failed to open, caused by earthquake-like defects in the building. Responding to questions, Mmusi acknowledged that the building is in a state of disrepair due to structural defects caused by settling on an unstable foundation. “The building has been assessed and found to be structurally defective, leading to a recommendation for demolition,” he told Parliament “Following the recommendation, my ministry has included the reconstruction of the building in the National Development Plan (NDP12) for consideration.

Funds permitting, the reconstruction is expected to commence in the second year of NDP12.” Regarding the impact of the building's condition on service delivery, Mmusi confirmed that its closure hasn't affected service provision, as the police station continues to provide all services from the old police building. He stated that officers are kept abreast of developments geared towards reconstructing the building. “The government originally built this police station with the community's needs and the welfare of the officers in mind. Unfortunately, poor construction methods adopted have led to the current state of the building,” Mmusi said.

Previously, it was reported that the building now housing the station also poses challenges due to its considerable age and insufficient size to accommodate the entire police personnel, including CID officers, traffic section, and the station commander, amongst others who require separate offices. Additionally, makeshift caravans have been erected behind the old building to accommodate some of the officers.

Editor's Comment
The people have spoken

In fact, early election results in some areas across the country, speak to large voter turnout which suggests that voters crowded at polling stations to decide appropriately. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) revealed that 80% of the 1,037,684 people who had registered to vote turned up to exercise their right.It’s unfortunate that at the time of cobbling this editorial comment, results had just started trickling in. We recognise that...

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