The government will on Friday afternoon outline its response to a damning Public Protector report that ruled Gauteng’s Crime Prevention Wardens, dubbed “AmaPanyaza” were unlawfully deployed.

Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi will brief the media on the government’s response to Gauteng’s request to designate Traffic Wardens as peace officers.

This follows a Public Protector report that found the original deployment to be irregular and unlawful.

The briefing will address the response to a request by the Gauteng Office of the Premier to declare the province’s Traffic Wardens as peace officers under Section 334 of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1977. 

The request follows a Public Protector report that identified challenges in the establishment, appointment and deployment of the Crime Prevention Wardens (CPWs), and called for an appropriate legislative response.

The media briefing will take place on Friday at the Ronnie Mamoepa Media Centre at GCIS, Tshedimosetso House, in Pretoria at 3pm.

Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka’s investigation, released in October 2025, found that the initial deployment of the Crime Prevention Wardens was irregular and unlawful, citing the absence of clear legislative authority for the province to perform policing functions.

The report recommended that the Gauteng government reclassify the wardens as traffic officers within 180 days and ensure that future recruitment and training fully comply with constitutional and legislative requirements.

Despite the findings, the provincial government has maintained that the initiative was well-intentioned and rooted in cooperative governance principles aimed at improving safety and visibility in crime-affected areas.

Lesufi has since announced the disbandment of the Crime Prevention Wardens, popularly known as the “AmaPanyaza”, to allow members to undergo training to become provincial traffic officers.

The decision followed sustained confusion over the wardens’ legal status and the scope of their powers, which first emerged in 2023.

“The wardens will cease to exist in the current format,” Lesufi said, adding that the process would be implemented in phases.

He said the members would be repurposed to serve within the Gauteng Traffic Police, the Special Law Enforcement Unit (SLEU) and other strategic security partners. To do so, they would undergo extensive training over a period of 18 to 36 months.

Lesufi added that those who do not qualify for the training would be assigned to municipalities for bylaw enforcement or to provide security services within government departments, after completing the necessary training.

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi previously criticised the AmaPanyaza during testimony before Parliament’s ad hoc committee last year.

The top cop said he had raised concerns about the wardens’ legality during a meeting of the police board of commissioners, arguing that while Lesufi’s intentions were good, the unit should not exist in law.

However, Lesufi previously rejected the criticism, saying the rollout of traffic wardens followed a “meticulous, legally compliant sequence” designed to ensure professionalism and accountability.

IOL News

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