Gauteng defends AmaPanyaza wardens: ‘Not meant to replace SAPS’

AmaPanyaza

Cape Town – The AmaPanyaza wardens initiative in the province of Gauteng was launched with the aim of strengthening community safety — not replacing the South African Police Service (SAPS),  the provincial government insists.

According to provincial spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga, the programme was designed as “a lawfully audacious initiative” meant to supplement existing law-enforcement capacity and address long-standing systemic challenges that have left the police operating in a reactive “fire-brigade” role.

He said that “the motive was never to replace the South African Police Service, but to pragmatically address a systemic problem that has, through no fault of the police, forced the police into a reactive ‘fire-brigade’ role,” as reported by IOL.

The initiative, first rolled out in 2023 to deploy wardens in townships, informal settlements and high-crime areas, drew both praise for increased visibility and concern over legality.

In her report released on Wednesday, Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka found that the Gauteng Department of Community Safety created and deployed the wardens without any legal framework, violating sections of the Constitution that prohibit provincial governments from exercising policing powers.

“The law neither empowers nor confers upon provincial government any authority to exercise policing powers.

“Any conduct that seeks to assume any power or function not granted by law or to perform functions or powers falling exclusively in another sphere of government shall be unlawful and unconstitutional.”

In response, the Gauteng government said that it has embarked on a phased transition: the wardens are being re-classified and retrained as traffic officers, with around 13 traffic colleges enlisted for the training programme. The aim is to formalise their roles and ensure alignment with constitutional and legislative frameworks.

Following the Public Protector’s findings, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has since announced its intention to table a motion of no confidence in Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

According to the party’s Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga, Lesufi’s administration “overstepped its constitutional mandate” by creating a policing structure outside the framework of the South African Police Service.

He said the party had long warned that the initiative was irregular, adding, “When we questioned him about it, we asked how they were permanently employed if the training they received was not accredited.”

The DA said that the programme was “poorly planned, very costly, and had no genuine intention of empowering these desperate men and women — instead, it was merely a gimmick to score cheap political points.”

The party also demanded transparency regarding how the wardens were funded, how retraining will be accredited, and how many members have been injured or killed while on duty.

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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele

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