Pretoria- The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng said on Tuesday that the Diepsloot police station, north of Johannesburg, has been temporarily closed after an officer tested positive for Covid-19.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said all communities serviced by the police station were advised that the community service centre will be operating from the metro police department office which is opposite Diepsloot police station on Corner Buffalo and Ingonyama street, extension 2.
She also said the community was still advised to call 10111 for all emergencies and complaints which will be attended to.
Peters said the telephone lines at Diepsloot police station’s community service centre will not be accessible while the building is closed.
“The building will be undergoing decontamination and the community will be informed when the station will be operational again. The SAPS management apologises for any inconvenience that may arise from this.”
Last week, the Garsfontein police station in Pretoria was also temporarily closed after a case of Covid-19 was confirmed at the station.
“Yes, the station (Garsfontein) had a positive case. They are going through decontamination,” Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza told African News Agency (ANA) in Pretoria. She said the police station’s community service centre had been temporarily moved to a boy scout building next door.
Kweza said she was not at liberty to disclose the number of police stations across Gauteng which had confirmed Covid-19 cases. “Unfortunately, we don’t give out statistics. Only the minister (Police Minister Bheki Cele) does that,” said Kweza.
She said the Garsfontein police station was expected to open its doors soon, as decontamination took “a day or so”.
Earlier this month, the SAPS also temporarily closed down its national headquarters in Pretoria for urgent decontamination following confirmation that one of its officers had tested positive for Covid-19.