A cellphone service provider has spent R15-million on upgrading Alexandra police station and magistrate’s court
Ntuthuko Maphumulo
It is a typical busy scene as you drive into Wynberg towards the Alexandra police station and magistrate’s court. There are many people going to the taxi rank, and around the rank are the makeshift stalls of hawkers selling food, vegetables and fruit.
The scene changes as you pass a robot: there are even more people on the street, but they are walking towards the court and police station, some to report crimes and others to attend cases involving their relatives on issues of domestic violence, rape, sexual abuse, assault and theft. The court building is surrounded by a wall with an electric gate; close by are market stalls specially built for hawkers, who are doing good business. Customers are chatting with their friends, eating and getting haircuts.
The police station nearby is surrounded by an electric fence, but the upgrading hasn’t stopped there. As you enter the station you find police officers waiting to hear your complaints and to direct you to the right people. The newly painted station has portraits on the walls and gardens in the yard.
The court and police station were recently given a facelift and it has made all the difference. The police station was in bad shape before Vodacom revamped it. There was no security, the charge office was small, there was neither a trauma room nor an interview room for victims and not enough parking space for police cars. The court was not without its own problems. There was no security, no staff parking, no burglar proofing and a leaking ceiling. Hawkers were spread out in the courtyard.
The revamping saw these buildings transformed into standard places of safety and security for both victims of crime and residents and staff who want to uphold the justice system in Alexandra township.
The police walls and floor were refurbished and a new charge office was built, with special rooms for interviews and trauma and fingerprinting. The prison cells were also refurbished proper toilets, wash basins and hot water were installed. Most important, juveniles were given their own section, apart from adult suspects in the cell. The station’s air-conditioning system was upgraded and a standby generator installed for use when electricity is down in the township.
There are no longer queues outside the police station. Instead, there has been an increase of reported incidents in the community because people now feel safe when they enter the building. Says Inspector Kagelelo Khumulo: “Since the police station was revamped the police have been motivated to do their work, as the environment is in good condition not like before and police are very happy with what Vodacom has done for them and the community at large.”
A boundary wall has been built around the magistrate’s court and 22 small market stalls have been installed with water taps and electrical plugs. Unused home affairs offices have been converted into administration offices for the court, new furniture, shelving and filing cabinets bought and a payment booth system installed for people who want to pay maintenance here instead of trekking to the court at Randburg.
Closed-circuit television has been installed and panic buttons linked to an armed response company, and automated gates built at the court and police station. A children’s court has also been built with specific requirements in terms of children’s right to privacy and protection.
Both operations have been furnished with equipment by Vodacom, ranging from computers to photocopiers, and the court’s recording system has been replaced.
Now it will be up to the community to sustain these projects. Eventually, the Department of Public Works will take over the maintenance of the buildings and equipment, but for now it’s the job of a maintenance contractor, with Vodacom staff visiting the area from time to time.
The revamping a R15-million project created 256 jobs, 29 of them sustainable for the next two years.
According to a Vodacom representative, the Vodacom Foundation wanted to address “public issues of national importance”. Security and safety came up as the most important issue. The foundation looked at safety and security from the apprehension of suspects, through the judicial process to the imprisonment of the offender. It found the key issue for the system to function well would be an environment where government personnel could operate to standard and the circumstances under which police and court personnel were forced to work was not conducive for either the safety of the community nor of the personnel who worked there.
Vodacom discussed the matter with the responsible department and ministry and pledged to ensure that improvements would be made. Their improvements have turned the situation around. Currently the foundation is concentrating on investing in communities in terms of safety, security, education and health.