Tshwane council approves land transfer for new police station to boost safety

The recent council-approved land transfer by the City of Tshwane to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure will pave the way for the construction of a fully operational police station in Olievenhoutbosch township.

The station currently serves over 200,000 people in the area, including the Choba informal settlement, where a deadly tavern shooting claimed six lives in July. 

For over two decades, the community has relied on a satellite police station, according to local councillor Kenneth Masha.

Masha said the satellite station serves four council wards, which are 106, 77, 48, and 65, covering a policing precinct of 76 square kilometres.

“You would imagine that such a population would need a sufficient police station to cover that particular area. However, this police station has been operating out of a four-room house for the past 24 years”

He stated that the current upgrading of the station to a colonel station requires additional resources and a larger facility to effectively serve the community of Olievenhoutbosch and surrounding areas.

Masha said after thorough engagement with SAPS and community stakeholders, including community policing forums, an agreement was reached that the proposed portion of land in Olievenhoutbosch Extension 37, measuring 19,000 square metres, would be more suitable for the police station. 

However, in the interim, he accepted the current land allocation in Extension 23, pending further work to secure a larger space.

He stated that the land transfer would formalise the SAPS's current occupation of the land, which is currently unauthorised.

DA councillor Ina Strijdom said the current satellite police station is overwhelmed, not designed for its current workload, and the area's ongoing development has likely increased the population beyond the nearly 300,000 people it served in 2021.

“Despite this exponential growth, the station remains structurally inadequate and operationally strained,” she said.

Strijdom noted that the station lacks holding cells and proper detective offices, with the remaining space packed with mobile offices, temporary containers, and makeshift structures.

“It is not conducive to effective policing. It is frankly an occupational health and safety risk. This is not just a logistical concern, it is a public safety crisis,” she said.

Kholofelo Morodi, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Corporate and Shared Services, said the council's approval of the land transfer would enable the development of a fully-fledged police station.

She explained that the decision authorises the transfer of two properties, Erven 3707 and 3708 in Olievenhoutbosch Extension 23, to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, which will oversee the upgrade of the existing satellite facility into a modern police station.

“This follows the rescission of a 2007 council resolution that had limited the site to a lease arrangement for a temporary satellite station. The new resolution grants a permanent transfer in terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act, enabling the national government to invest fully in the construction and long-term development of the facility,” she said.

Morodi welcomed the decision as a long-awaited breakthrough for Olievenhoutbosch residents, describing it as a crucial step toward restoring safety and stability in the area.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za