KZN police station mysteriously razed
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the cause of the fire was unknown and that investigations had just begun. Nobody was injured.
DA Police Portfolio Committee member Dianne Kohler Barnard tried conducting her own investigation into the incident.
“Conflicting stories are being told. The police at first said a case of arson had been registered, and a source said it seemed there was no foul play. This means a SAPS station has simply burnt itself,” she said.
She called for someone to be held accountable for the damage to police infrastructure.
“I will be asking the minister of police to determine whether it was an electrical fault - and if so who put in the electrical connections. If, instead, a SAPS member had, perhaps, left a heater on or caused a fire in any other way, this needs to be investigated.”
Kohler Barnard was concerned that the investigation could take months. She said residents would have to travel to uMkhomazi to get documents certified or to report a crime.
“We have so few stations and such a huge need. The sight of this destroyed building hurts. I have asked for a full report on the incident, and how long it will be before another building is built in its place,” she said.
Alan Chetty, of the Umkomaas fire department, said the police station had allegedly caught alight twice in the space of an hour.
Mbhele said a case of arson was opened at Umkomaas police station.
Daily News