The Khayelitsha Site B police station has become the latest to be closed in the Western Cape after staff members were exposed to Covid-19.

Western Cape police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said that there was a Covid-19 related case at the Khayelitsha police station in Site B.

She pointed out that a “Covid-19 related case” does not necessarily mean a member of the SA Police Service has been confirmed to have the virus. Staff members may have been exposed to the virus when apprehending a suspect or when a member of the community requires assistance at the police station.

However, a source close to the Khayelitsha Site B police station told Daily Maverick, that there were two confirmed coronavirus cases at the station. “It was revealed on Wednesday [6 May] that there was a second person at the police station who was infected. The police station was only closed on Friday [8 May],” the source told Daily Maverick. 

Khayelitsha, the biggest township in the Western Cape,  has 736 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

The Muizenberg police station was also closed on Friday 8 May after staff members were exposed to the coronavirus. The Phillipi East police station was closed for 48 hours last month for decontamination.  A confirmed case of Covid-19 at the Cape Town central police station led to personnel temporarily moving to the cluster offices at the rear of the police station.

 Potelwa told News24 that a mobile unit was placed in front of the gate of the police station so that service delivery was able to continue.

Decontamination takes 48 hours and operations were set to resume at the Muizenberg police station on Monday 11 May. 

Potelwa was unable to say how many police stations had been closed for decontamination in the Western Cape.

“It would be difficult at this point to specify the number of police stations affected by Covid-19 as tests are conducted by external service providers and results do not come at the same time. It is also worth noting that, in some instances, SAPS members impacted by the virus do not work at police stations but in units,” said Potelwa.

Describing what happens once it emerges that staff members may have come into contact with someone infected with the coronavirus, Potelwa said the police station is closed and decontaminated for 48 hours.

Staff members are then required to undergo testing for Covid-19, which is provided by an external service provider. The services provided by the police station are then moved to a temporary location.

“As part of the SAPS’ contingency planning, alternative buildings/locations were identified beforehand in anticipation of Covid-19 related cases emerging from our service points, which are police stations,” said Potelwa.

Last week, Police Minister Bheki Cele told the police committee that 253 police officers had tested positive for Covid-19. Of those, 175 were SAPS staff members in the Western Cape. 

Government has ensured that police officers have protective gear but, because holding cells are often overcrowded and given the nature of police work, it’s often difficult to adhere to physical distancing, said Richard Mamabolo, the spokesperson for the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru).

“We sit on the SAPS steering committee on Covid-19 and have made proposals that, instead of arresting people who violate lockdown regulations, they should pay an admission of guilt fine so that it frees up police officers’ time,” said Mamabolo.

SAPS’ national spokesperson, Vish Naidoo, told Daily Maverick that Cele would make an announcement regarding how many police stations have been closed and decontaminated, and how many police officers have been infected with the coronavirus. This has yet to happen.

South Africa now has 10,652 confirmed cases of Covid-19. The Western Cape has the highest number of infections, with 5,621 cases coming from the province.

Meanwhile, a city of Cape Town metro police depot in Khayelitsha was closed after a staff member returned to work without undergoing further tests to verify his status.“The staff member who tested positive a few weeks ago returned to work without following protocols and going for follow-up tests. He has since returned to the hospital for the tests. Upon medical advice, the facility was sanitised and deep cleaned again,” said Richard Bosman, executive director of safety and security in the City of Cape Town.

Bosman did not say how long the staff member had been at the depot before it emerged that he or she had not undergone follow-up tests.
“The depot is closed. However, services are still being rendered to the community with role players and staff who have not had contact with the infected person,” added Bosman. DM

This article has been amended for accuracy. Earlier, it was stated that the SAPS station was closed after a staff member who had tested positive for Covid-19 had returned to work without being cleared in subsequent tests. This incident related to the City of Cape Town’s depot in Khayelitsha and was not linked to the SAPS station. Daily Maverick apologises for the mix-up.