Residents jump in to clean filthy police station

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By Doreen Mokgolo

  • Residents come together to clean urine-soaked Duduza Police Station after finding it in bad condition. 
  • Former political prisoner says police cells are as filthy as they were during apartheid.

The smell hits you first at Duduza Police Station. A stench of urine fills the corridors where residents now scrub floors that haven’t seen soap in months.

Former Gauteng Legislature Speaker Ntombi Mekgwe was shocked when she visited. The conditions brought back dark memories of her time as a political prisoner under apartheid.

“The toilets in the police cells were scary. I wondered why anyone would put another individual in that kind of environment – no matter the crimes they committed,” she told Scrolla.Africa.

The police counter was so dirty it stuck to people’s hands. Grass grew wild around the building. 

Mekgwe was told only one cleaner is responsible for cleaning the whole station – and she wasn’t even at work on the day.

Mekgwe couldn’t stand seeing her local police station in such a state. She grabbed cleaning supplies from her own home and called on neighbours to help.

“I had to take cleaning equipment and detergents from my house to use. Another resident donated his grass cutters to cut the long grass while we donated money for the petrol,” she said.

On Friday, angry residents marched to the station and customer care centre demanding better care of public facilities. They handed over complaints to Captain Eva Viagem and the centre manager’s office.

The community wanted the security fence fixed at the customer care centre and the overgrown grass cut immediately.

Mekgwe, who still serves in the Gauteng Legislature, has officially asked questions about the shortage of cleaners and cleaning supplies at the station.

Pictured above: Members of the community cleaning the station.

Source: Doreen Mokgolo

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