Land Deal Clears Path for New KwaNonqaba Police Station

Macpherson said residents had waited close to 20 years for a new police station while officers continued operating from facilities that did not properly support their work.

A proposed new police station and dog unit in KwaNonqaba has moved a step closer after Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson and Mossel Bay Executive Mayor Alderman Dirk Kotzé signed a land-exchange pledge designed to secure a permanent site for the development.

The agreement addresses a problem stretching back almost two decades, during which officers at the existing KwaNonqaba Police Station have continued working from overcrowded and deteriorating facilities. Temporary containers and Wendy houses have been used to provide additional space, creating working conditions that government says are unsuitable for officers responsible for policing the community.

Under the proposed arrangement, Mossel Bay Municipality will transfer municipal land in KwaNonqaba to the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure for the development of the police station and South African Police Service (SAPS) Dog Unit.

New site could end years of unsuitable police facilities

Macpherson said residents had waited close to 20 years for a new police station while officers continued operating from facilities that did not properly support their work.

"Police officers cannot be expected to fight crime effectively from facilities that undermine their work," he said, adding that his department has a responsibility to provide SAPS with suitable land and infrastructure even though it does not perform policing duties itself.

A purpose-built station could give officers more appropriate working space while providing the infrastructure needed to serve the surrounding community more effectively. Including a dedicated dog unit would also create facilities for a specialised policing capability that can assist with various law-enforcement operations.

Mossel Bay Municipality approved the proposed property exchange in June 2026 after discussions involving the Minister, Mayor and officials from both levels of government.

The newly signed pledge does not remove the remaining legal and administrative requirements. It commits the municipality and department to work together transparently as they complete the legislative, regulatory and administrative processes needed for the exchange.

Dana Bay land to become proposed eco-tourism park

The transaction will involve more than the transfer of the KwaNonqaba site. In exchange for the municipal property, land owned by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure in Dana Bay is expected to be transferred to Mossel Bay Municipality.

The municipality plans to use that property for the proposed Dana Bay Eco-Tourism Park, giving the land a recreational and economic purpose while the KwaNonqaba site supports improved policing.

Macpherson described the arrangement as an example of using public property for public benefit, arguing that government-owned land should contribute to the communities around it instead of remaining vacant, deteriorating or caught in lengthy administrative processes.

The Dana Bay project could provide recreational space for residents and visitors while creating opportunities connected to tourism and local businesses, giving the land exchange potential benefits beyond the policing development.

Government cooperation unlocks practical solution

Kotzé said the agreement shows how national and local government can work together when available public properties do not necessarily sit with the sphere of government that needs them most.

"Through cooperation between the municipality and national government, we have found a practical solution that will benefit communities on both sides of this exchange," the Mayor said.

For KwaNonqaba residents, the arrangement provides a proposed home for a police station that has been discussed for years. For Dana Bay, it creates an opportunity to turn government land into an eco-tourism and recreational asset serving residents, visitors and businesses.

The next stage will depend on completing the required property-transfer and regulatory processes before development can proceed.

After nearly two decades of temporary arrangements and promises of improved facilities, the land-exchange pledge provides a concrete route towards giving KwaNonqaba police officers a purpose-built workplace while putting another public property to use for the wider Mossel Bay community.