DA welcomes Edleen EMPD Project
by Cllr. Tracey Lourenco — DA Ward Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 30 April 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Press Statement
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has been pressuring the ANC-led Coalition* City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) to upgrade the Edleen Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Precinct for over four years.
The Edleen EMPD Project announcement was made as far back as the CoE’s 2012 Budget Speech. Yet, in 2017, the City had only approved the plans for the project. The funds for the roll-out of the project have been getting reallocated during the adjustment budget since the 2013 Financial Year.
The ANC and its coalition partners* continued to reallocate funds earmarked for this project while the Edleen EMPD officials were subjected to atrocious working conditions. Both male and female officials were forced to use a small office with only one toilet, and the Police Commander and his officers were subjected to immensely restrictive space, even during these difficult Covid-19 times.
After much pressure and petitions from the DA, the Edleen EMPD Precinct Project will finally proceed, after standing derelict for years, owing to contract cancellations and court cases.
The project will commence with immediate effect and will continue until the end of the current Financial Year, ending in June 2021. During the first phase of the project, the contractor indicated that they would prioritise the exposed portions of the building first.
The project is due to last a further 18 months. In the draft budget an amount of R10 million has been budgeted for in the 2021/2022 Financial Year, R11 240 000 in the 2022/2023 Financial Year and a further R10 000 000 in the 2023/2024 Financial Year.
While residents and businesses in the area will be affected by a slightly higher level of dust during this time, the contractor will commit to good environmental standards by ensuring that dust levels are kept as low as possible by watering the ground when required.
Traffic may also be adversely affected, and noise levels may be higher than normal during the project. Residents are, therefore, urged to be patient as this upgrade is well overdue.
Once these poor working conditions are addressed, the EMPD in Edleen will be able to render better appropriate and adequate services to the community and residents.
As the DA, we will continue to hold the CoE accountable to its residents and ensure that the project is completed.
A DA-led Ekurhuleni will ensure that funding exists for all planned projects. New unfunded mandates, which could compromise the quality of service delivery, will be opposed.
*Coalition Partners: African Independent Congress (AIC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa (IRASA)
Cllr. Tracey Lourenco
DA Ward 104 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
