Premier Lesufi must end Amapanyaza's brutality

Premier Panyaza Lesufi must take decisive action to ensure that Crime Prevention Wardens, also known as Amapanyaza, face consequences for instilling fear and wreaking havoc across Gauteng communities.

A recent incident has surfaced on social media, showing wardens violently kicking a young and defenceless homeless man.

This is not an isolated incident; last year, crime wardens were seen assaulting a woman without provocation.

The DA Gauteng has consistently raised concerns about the Amapanyazas' lack of training, oversight, and professional management.

These incidents validate our worries and highlight the lack of discipline and compassion within their ranks.

Premier Lesufi must stop flooding our communities with wardens who lack training and management but ride around town in fancy BMWs, as they have failed to show a real reduction in crime and become a law unto themselves. 

Premier Lesufi must tell us how many formal complaints have been lodged against the Amapanyaza since the inception of this programme and how many of these have led to prosecutions.

The people of Gauteng deserve to know. The DA-led Gauteng provincial government will mandate de-escalation training for all wardens, establish clear operating rules to outline the scope and limits of warden authority, and conduct monthly performance reports to assess their efficacy.

Where wardens cause disturbance, we will investigate and prosecute anyone involved.

Michael Sun, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Community Safety