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Residents of Ekulindeni outside Elukwatini in Mpumalanga are concerned about the poor service rendered by their local police station
They say this is due to a shortage of police vehicles
It is alleged that the station has one vehicle to serve about four villages
which at times experiences mechanical problems
the police station in the area is not assisting them with anything when faced with challenges that need their attention
A concerned resident Douglas Nkosi alleges that at some point the police had to push a police vehicle on their way to attend a scene
but they will tell you they don’t have a van
We are worried about the elderly when they have to report crime
The main problem also is that the road is bad and we have tried to speak to the MEC but still to this day nothing,” says Nkosi
Sgonyela Nkosi says his 16-year-old daughter went missing in July this year and the police failed to assist him as they cited shortage of vehicles
“The police station only gave me problems when it came to looking for my missing child
I think if they had more vehicles they would be able to help
My daughter went missing and they told me that they don’t have a car and I think if they had more vehicles she would have been found,” says Sgonyela
They broke down due to lack of maintenance
Police say they are aware of the challenges faced by the community
“They asked the K-9 unit to assist with a van and that vehicle was taken (in) for repairs
We have donated 37 vehicles to needy station to help
And stations fail to report vehicles on time,” says Selvy Mohlala
The province has a huge backlog of vehicles that needs to be repaired