Twenty-four Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens (Amapanyaza) vehicles, tasked with upholding the law, are themselves allegedly operating illegally on provincial roads with expired licence discs, a revelation that has sparked outrage after a four-year-old girl was struck by one of the vehicles in Evaton West.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is now demanding the immediate impounding of the 24 vehicles and disciplinary action against officials who allowed them to remain on the road without valid documentation.
The controversy follows an incident on January 24 at about 18:30, when a marked Amapanyaza bus allegedly knocked down a child in Evaton West Ext 2.
Police spokesperson Constable Thulisile Msibi confirmed that a case of reckless and negligent driving is under investigation.
“The police attended the scene of an accident with injuries at Evaton West Ext2. Upon their arrival, they found a marked crime prevention wardens bus. The driver explained that he was driving a marked crime prevention wardens bus at Evaton west when he bumped over a child aged 4 years.
The child was taken to the hospital for medical treatment. A case of reckless and negligent driving is opened at Evaton Police Station and under investigation,” Msibi said.
The information was revealed in a written reply by Premier Panyaza Lesufi to questions posed by the DA in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature on February 16.
Lesufi confirmed that the vehicle involved in the crash belonged to the Amapanyaza unit and that its licence disc had expired on August 31, 2024.
He further acknowledged that several Amapanyaza vehicles are in use with expired license discs dating back to August 2024, adding that despite paying for renewals, the discs remain withheld due to the lack of valid roadworthy certificates
“Yes the department completed payment for licence renewals, however, the licence disc was not issued in the absence of a valid certificate of roadworthiness (certificate of fitness). The department Compliance Unit has concluded an inspection of all the vehicles that need COF’s that will unlock the vehicle disc issuance.”
Lesufi admitted that no one has yet been held accountable for what he described as possible administrative lapses.
“The department has instituted an investigation in order to determine if there were any administrative lapses that can be attributed to negligence by the officials responsible. Once this is done, a decision will be taken whether to institute consequence management,” he added.
The Premier said the department has begun developing an internal ICT dashboard to automatically alert officials ahead of licence expiries and track vehicle bodywork needed for roadworthy certification.
“Fleet Management has also been instructed to ensure weekly vehicle inspection without hampering operations. This will ensure prompt reporting of physical damage and quick assessment of potential need to book vehicles in for body repair work,” he said.
But the DA says the damage is already done.
DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga said the vehicles should be impounded immediately and criticised Lesufi sharply.
Msimanga said Lesufi should hang his head in shame. He went to say that under Lesufi's watch, the Amapanyaza are operating with impunity, defying laws with no visible consequences, and putting lives at risk.
“Yet ordinary Gauteng residents face fines and penalties for violating road rules...this double standard erodes public trust, undermines the rule of law, and sends a dangerous message that accountability applies only to citizens.
“There is no justification for these processes not running in parallel, as failure to do so creates loopholes that allow vehicles to operate illegally, placing motorists and pedestrians at risk.”
He added that a DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would ensure full compliance across all government-owned vehicles.
This is not the first time government-owned vehicles have been sidelined due to expired licence discs. The Star previously exposed that Emfuleni Municipality was forced to take several operational fire trucks off the road because their licence discs had expired, leaving only one fire engine legally permitted to operate at the time.
The Star