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Reports this weekend exposed the slum-like state of police barracks around the country.

The conditions in these barracks, which are the responsibility of the national department of public works, should be a source of shame for the Minister of Public Works, Thulas Nxesi.

I will be writing to Minister Nxesi to request that an urgent investigation is conducted into the conditions in which the men and women of the South African Police Service (SAPS), and their families, are having to live.

This weekend’s Sunday Times report indicated that:

A flat charred by a fire in the Natalia Court barracks in Durban is being used as a rubbish storeroom, and lifts in the block haven’t worked since 2006;
The two top floors of the Soweto barracks in Pretoria North are completely gutted; and
In the Alexandra barracks, toilets are barely working, bathrooms are filthy and residents have reportedly lived without hot water for almost 15 years.
Today, I visited the partially destroyed Marshall Street Barracks in downtown Johannesburg, which belongs to the national department of public works.

New National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega has named repairing police compounds such as this as one of her priorities - and Minister Nxesi should do the same.

In the same way as the barracks described in the Sunday Times report, the national public works department has allowed the building to fall into disuse and disrepair.

In October 2002, the building was nearly razed to the ground by a fire, and the damage has never been repaired.

The barracks sit on a valuable plot in Johannesburg CBD, which could be developed into an important resource for the surrounding community.

Other buildings in the vicinity have been restored and renovated by the private sector, providing accommodation, teaching space, jobs and business opportunities to many struggling inner city residents.

However, the Department has reneged on its duty and allowed a strategic site with huge potential to fall into disrepair and stand vacant for more than a decade.

In addition, developers have been prevented from taking over the building because of a lack of co-operation from the department.

The barracks is also of historical value- it was built in 1913 and initially served as the central Johannesburg police headquarters. But the department has failed to respond to correspondence from the Parktown Heritage Foundation regarding plans to restore the building.

Questions submitted to Minister Nxesi by the Democratic Alliance (DA) on this matter have also gone unanswered.

The appalling conditions of SAPS barracks is part of a much broader problem.

The Department of Public Works’ ineffectiveness in maintaining the buildings for which it is responsible is obstructing service delivery across the board.

In the case of the SAPS barracks, for example, creating better living conditions for our policemen and women is essential to improving the morale of our police service. This is essential if we are to effectively fight crime, and make South Africans feel safer.

By allowing national assets to fall into disrepair, the Department of Public Works prevents government buildings from being used effectively to deliver services to South Africans.

The Department of Public Works must get its house in order, and start leveraging national assets in the service of the people of South Africa.

Photos of the Marshall Street Barracks in Johannesburg can be viewed by clicking on these links:
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