Caption; DCSSL MEC, Jackie Macie(middle) amongst members of the Portfolio Committee
By Lwazi Raul-Shongwe and Kopano Dibakwane
The shortage of vehicles and personnel, as well as difficulty to access communities and crime scenes timeously due to bad road conditions during rainy seasons, were some of the challenges uncovered during an oversight visit to Dirkiesdorp and Piet Retief police stations by the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature Committee on Community Safety, Security and Liaison.
According to a statement by Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison(DCSSL), the visit took place on Wednesday 11 September, as part of the Taking Legislature to the People Programme which started on Monday 9 September.
The visit was reportedly attended by DCSSL MEC, Jackie Macie, Provincial South African Police Service(SAPS), Councilors from Mkhondo Local Municipality, local members of the Community Policing Forum(CPF), as well as the South African Police Union(SAPU).
“ Dirkiesdorp police station is about 46 kilometers from Piet Retief and it also services a satellite station  in the nearby Driefontein. The station services a population of nearly 50 000 people. Lack of street lights and house numbering were also cited as hindrances for the station to effectively police  the area. The committee was briefed that plans are at an advanced stage to make Driefontein a fully fledged police station,” said DCSSL.
The committee was reportedly concerned about the high number of liquor outlets that seem to be contributing towards cases of Gender Based Violence(GBV).
“ On the other hand, Piet Retief is among the top stations and it is one of the stations that were nominated by the National Secretariat for Police for Custody Management, which was conducted in July this year. Prevalent crimes affecting the station include assault GBH, livestock theft, fraud, and burglary at business premises,” said DCSSL.
The oversight visit was reportedly led by Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Life Monini.
