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Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has announced that the crime prevention wardens (CPW) will be disbanded in order for them to undergo training to become fully fledged traffic officers.
This comes after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt. General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi testimony, where he raised concerns that they didn’t fall under crime fighting and not given adequate police training.
Although it is with good intent but the formation of AmaPanyaza is illegal, Lt. Gen. Mkhwanazi remarked.
However, the provincial government rejected the assertion that the formation of AmaPanyaza showed contempt for the rule of law and dismissed the allegation that the Gauteng Traffic Wardens are an illegal entity.
Briefing members of the media in a press conference on Wednesday, Lesufi said the wardens will cease to exist in the current format and this will be done in a phased approach.
They will now be repurposed to be part of the Gauteng Traffic Police and Special Law Enforcement UNIT (SLEU) and other strategic security partners, he revealed.
The premier stated that to do so, they will be subject to extensive and intensive training for the next 18 to 36 months and those who can’t qualify for this training will be assigned to municipalities for bylaw enforcement or the provision of security services in various government departments after acquiring the necessary training.
“We do this because we believe that what they are doing has demonstrated that what they are doing is needed in our communities, we just must eliminate areas of deep concern, which is their training, their
mandate, and their qualification.
“We believe that the completion of this process will eliminate these concerns and they will be a fully-fledged unit that will assist us to fight crime in our province.
“As the Gauteng government, we want to focus on tackling crime rather than spending time squabbling around mandate and legitimacy or getting caught within factional battles of law enforcement agencies in our country.
“The recent crime stats of Gauteng are an affirmation that our collective efforts to fight crime are turning the tide against crime with a 7.9% crime reduction in the last quarter, and a 25% reduction in road fatalities during the last festive season,” he explained.
Disbandment… a demonstration of government’s failure
Meanwhile, ActionSA said the disbandment of Gauteng CPW is both a recognition of failure and a stark demonstration of mismanagement in the province’s approach to public safety.
According to John Moodey, ActionSA Member of the Gauteng Legislature, whist they welcome any attempt to bolster safety structures, the timing, logic and legacy of this programme raise serious concerns, not least of which was political and administrative.
“In his response to the Legislature, Premier Lesufi, indicated that in December 2023, the then-Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, officially designated the CPW as peace officers in terms of Section 334 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1977.
“This designation would, in the government’s view, grant them the same legal status as provincial traffic officers. Being designated as peace officers is only one step.
“Legal status alone does not guarantee that training, accreditation, mandate clarity, supervision, equipment or operational protocols are in place. The confusion and dispute over legality and their role all point to systemic governance weaknesses,” he expressed.
Moodey highlighted that the idea behind the wardens was noble that being to support the SAPS, improve visible policing in underserved communities and relieve pressure on traditional police resources.
“The programme created jobs and offered opportunities for young people to engage in frontline public safety work. However, with the unit’s mandate and powers not clearly defined, there has been persistent ambiguity about what the wardens may or may not lawfully do.
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“Reports suggest the wardens were not adequately trained for crime-fighting functions, nor fully equipped for deployment in high-risk environments.
“Oversight and coordination with SAPS were weak and resulted in wardens being haplessly attacked by criminals as they operated in dangerous situations without proper backup, recourse or protection.
“A change in title does not automatically fix years of weak implementation and ineptitude. The provincial government must honour its responsibility to deliver public safety that is effective, lawful and sustainable,” he added.
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