Lesufi: SAPS rejected my plan for 10,000 cops — so I went ‘plan B’ with amapanyaza

Johannesburg – Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has revealed that he initially asked the South African Police Service (SAPS) to deploy 10,000 more officers to the province before launching the controversial crime prevention wardens programme in 2023.

According to EWN, he said crime in Gauteng remains high due to low police visibility and a shortage of personnel.

After SAPS and then-police minister Bheki Cele declined his offer for the province to fund the additional officers, Lesufi introduced the wardens as a “Plan B” to boost policing capacity using provincial resources such as CCTV and helicopters.

“When my offer to have 10,000 policemen paid by us as the provincial government was declined, we had to go to Plan B. We had all the resources, including CCTV cameras and helicopters, but we didn’t have foot soldiers who could respond,” the report quoted him as saying.

However, the programme was disbanded last week after the Public Protector found it had been established without legal authority.

WATCH | Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka says the Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens, known as Amapanyaza, were established not in line with the applicable legislation. pic.twitter.com/dvU6ROMu6q

— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 22, 2025

Lesufi maintains that his intention was to enhance safety and that he had consulted both the justice and police ministers, insisting the law allowed for such a unit.