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.
