GQEBERHA – Dark corridors, broken windows, garbage and the sound of wind moving through the building greeted Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson when he walked through the Algoa Park police barracks on Tuesday.

The visit followed months of concerns about the state of the barracks, first raised during an oversight inspection in June.

Macpherson described the accommodation as dysfunctional and said the conditions were not acceptable for police officers and their families.

“The lifts haven’t worked for nearly seven years, the accommodation standards are just not up to scratch,” he said.

“That is just not acceptable, so we accept that we have a responsibility to work with the South African Police Services (SAPS) to get this place back up to scratch to service our dedicated and brave police officers with functional accommodation because this is, quite frankly, dysfunctional.”

Three steps to address the barracks’ condition

Residents Kolani Klass and Nomadax Woxa opened their home to the minister, giving him a first-hand look at their living conditions.

The couple live at the property with their son and grandchild. They showed him their home, where a kitchen light has been flickering and a toilet has not been flushing properly for about six months.

Macpherson said he had directed his department to complete an audit within 14 days.

He also ordered a rectification plan for health and safety concerns and called for engagement between Public Works and SAPS to restore the accommodation.

“I just can’t accept that this is what our assets look like,” he said. “I’ve been very clear that our assets must be respected.”

He cited a unit that had been destroyed in a fire years ago, without being repaired, as an example of poor planning and a lack of attention to state assets.

The minister said the department needed a credible plan, backed by a budget, to bring the building up to standard, including access control.

The non-functioning lifts were another concern.

“The lifts don’t work, so people have to walk up and down the stairs, there are no fire hydrants and that’s not on,” he said.

“It’s almost like at some point in time the building was abandoned. Our assets are too valuable, so we have got to take control and we have to make right what is clearly wrong here.”

Macpherson said Public Works was responsible for the upkeep of the buildings as custodian of state assets, while SAPS was responsible for the accommodation budget.

“We must take accountability and responsibility,” he said.

Concerns raised in June

The visit followed an inspection by DA Eastern Cape MPL and Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal on 3 June.

Odendaal said he found deteriorating infrastructure, poor security, accumulated waste and unsanitary living conditions. He also raised concerns about reports of rats at the barracks.

Following the inspection, he wrote to Macpherson and the Acting Minister of Police requesting intervention.

For Vicky Knoetze, a DA member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, the issue goes beyond broken infrastructure.

“The living conditions of police officers is so important because how do we expect our men and women in blue to go and risk their lives to protect us when they cannot even live in a place of dignity,” she said.

Odendaal welcomed the intervention but said the DA would continue monitoring the process until funding was secured and the necessary repairs and security improvements were completed.

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