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Vermin, vagrants and vandals have taken up residence at Algoa Park’s once-pristine police residential quarters.
The Gamtoos and Sterrenberg flats, situated next to the police station, have become an eyesore after being left to steadily deteriorate over the years.
The premises consists of two buildings with 114 and 116 flats, and 11 and 12 floors, respectively, housing mainly police officers and their families.
The buildings are open to the public as nobody mans what used to be the guard post.
The guard post has been stripped of valuables while piles of dirt and faeces lay strewn on the inside.
Huge piles of rubbish including empty food wrappers, soiled nappies, old clothing and shoes, as well as broken glass shards, line the entrance from the gate.
The majority of the garages have been stripped of doors, roofs and electrical fittings.
Vagrants have since moved into some of the garages, as evidenced by dirty bedding, old food and places where fires are made to keep warm at night.
On the outside, there is no lighting as the electrical fittings and fixtures have been stripped from their sockets.
The entryway doors to the Gamtoos flat have been stolen, while the one at Sterrenberg is hanging by its hinges.
Some of the windows and tiles at both blocks of flats are broken, including the windows of flats that are occupied by residents.
The entryway and staircases are also filthy.
It is a long, dark climb, as the lifts do not work due to electrical cables being stolen.
A resident who did not want to be named said the lift had been out of order for many months.
“It is not the best place to live in, but some residents keep the inside of their flats neat and tidy.
“The outside leaves much to be desired,” he said.
Algoa Park resident Ayub Abrahams described the condition of the barracks as appalling.
He said the state of the premises and the criminal element that it attracted were contributing to the degradation of the area.
“These are mainly police officers who live here.
“One has to wonder if they have no respect for themselves and the law for that matter if they are fine with living in a place like this without doing anything about it.
“How can they allow criminals to infiltrate where they live and just let them be?” Abrahams asked.
On more than one occasion, Algoa Park Neighbourhood Watch president Mario Zeelie claimed to have traced criminals to the premises and recovered stolen goods such as cellphones hidden inside the garages.
“Something needs to be done to curb this problem as a matter of urgency,” Zeelie said.
“The last thing the area needs is another base camp for criminals.
“How that the place could deteriorate to such an extent while being right next to a police station is astounding.”
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said the building belonged to the department of public works, which was also responsible for its upkeep.
“Equally, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has its responsibility towards the said building in terms of the refuse removal.
“SAPS management in Gqeberha is planning to continue engaging both the municipality and public works to address all issues relating to the state of the building.
“Workers who are responsible for cleaning the building are doing the best they can, to ensure that the tenants live in habitable and healthy accommodation,” he said.
National public works spokesperson Thamsanqa Mchunu did not respond to queries by the time of going to print.
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