By Siphumelele Madide
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli recently launched four mobile Police Stations at the Mayville Conference Centre in Durban in an effort to curb crime in the area.
One of the areas that received the recently launched mobile stations is a rural area in uMfolozi Municipality, called KwaMbonambi, where crime is rampantly high.
The launch of the four mobile police stations last month forms part of the province’s efforts to alleviate crime in KwaMbonambi, an area where because of its geographical landscape, getting police to arrive on a crime scene timeously is often difficult.
These mobile stations are trucks that are equipped with solar-powered cells to hold suspects, fingerprinting equipment and offer day-to-day police service to residents as and when needed.
The KwaMbonambi area, with a population of about 10,000 people, is a crime-riddled area, with an average
of 58 murders per 100,000 people, figures worse than most of South Africa, according to the 2025
Crime Quarterly Report.
Resident, Siphosethu Dlamini (35), said he’s often afraid of walking home at night as the area is surrounded by sugarcane fields and dirt roads, which are secluded.
“Robberies, attacks, and animal theft happen all the time. The police station is too far, and help comes too
late,” said Dlamini.
The Umfolozi Municipality Mayor, Councillor Xolani Bhengu, welcomed the launch of the Mobile police
station in the area.
“We thank the Premier for listening to the outcry of the uMfolozi Municipality community as I have always
been reporting the crime in the area to him,” said Bhengu.
At the launch Cllr. Bhengu was accompanied by the local AmaKhosi (traditional leaders) around the area,
namely King Mthiyane from the Sokhulu clan, King Mthiyane from MaMbuka, King Mthethwa from the
Mthethwa clan and King Mbuyazi, who all welcomed the mobile stations.
KZN Premier, Thami Ntuli, said these mobile stations will be stationed in areas where police often find
difficult to reach due to the terrain, when communities seek their help.
“We are bringing the police to where crime happens. Giving keys to police bosses, the units move to tough
areas like KwaMbonambi, Inanda, and uMgungundlovu. Each has four to six officers and a community
helper, working day and night, connected to big stations by internet,” he alluded.
