North West Province: North West Province Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Roads Minister Mmoloki Cwaile launched an oversight visit at Nietvirdiend Police Station. This is a four-day oversight visit which started on 6 February and ran till 9 February 2024.
The oversight visit aims to strengthen public participation and promote accountability and transparency in government.
As per the reports, Nietvierdiend Police Station is a very old police station in North West Province and intended to be built for clinical purposes for a local school and then be replaced as a police station. This police station gives services to 9084 villages near the Province named Masebudule, Supingstad and Lekgopung village.
The police station also services two border posts, namely Kopfontein and Derdepoort, as well as Madikwe Game Reserve.
During the oversight visit, Minister Mmoloki Cwaile found some of the challenges that Police stations and residents are facing, such as a lack of transportation, network non-connectivity, a shortage of personnel at the station, and poor building infrastructure and cells.
According to the Station Commander of the police station, Cpt Mompati Molatihegi, “there is a high number of illegal foreigners involved in Rhino Poaching and stealing copper mainly from Mozambique whilst there is a challenge of transportation that impacts on the response time to assist crimes that mainly occur at Madikwe Game Reserve.”
Furthermore, the Chairperson continued by saying, “Because of this challenge and cautions, we give more and extra attention to the tuckshop owners that are owned by locals and foreigners in the area who are selling illegal products that have resulted in child deaths and severe health conditions according to recent media reports.”
“The police station should try to establish a relationship with farm owners and workers to also establish the current statistics of foreigners, both legal and illegal, working around the area,” said Cwaile.
North West Province Legislature’s Portfolio Committee also suggested that there should be a meeting between the Department of Public Works and Roads, the Provincial Police Secretariat, and both the Provincial and National offices of the South African Police Services to resolve the current poor conditions of police buildings more especially at rural areas.
During the visit, the committee also met with the Public Works and Roads department and praised their work. The committee also appreciated the social call demonstrated by the Contractor who refurbished the Tribal Council Office and Hall.
He further cleared the graveyard in Lobatleng village, bladed the road between Nkwedumang and Lobatla villages. All the activities were done while ensuring that it’s trafficable as well and pothole patching the remainder of the road to Motswedi.
The work was part of Ubuntu and working together with the community to carry out the above mentioned mini projects as a Good gesture.