DA to table motion of no confidence against Gauteng premier Lesufi

The DA says it will table a motion of no confidence against Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi after the public protector’s damning report found it irregular that Gauteng’s crime prevention wardens were appointed and deployed without legal authority to conduct crime prevention duties.

The DA has a good chance of ousting Lesufi and his executive as the ANC is in a minority government with less than 50% of the seats in the legislature.

Should the DA succeed, it could spell trouble for the ANC’s 2026 local government campaign in the province and potentially see the two parties clashing again.

The investigation by the public protector revealed that the establishment, appointment and deployment of crime prevention wardens by the functionaries of the department was not premised on any supporting legislative framework that provided for guidance on the category of the officers, their appointment, training and their functions or duties.

The wardens project was thought by opposition parties to have been a convenient ploy by the ANC to gain votes in the 2024 elections. There has been a dispute about whether the amaPanyaza, as the wardens are known, should operate as peace officers, crime prevention wardens or traffic wardens.

DA provincial leader Solly Msimanga said the party previously cautioned that the Amapanyaza initiative was ill-conceived, poorly implemented and unsustainable.

“We warned that the recruits were not adequately trained, insufficiently resourced, and did not meet the legal criteria to serve as peace officers. Premier Lesufi stubbornly chose to ignore these warnings, pressing ahead with a costly programme that has now collapsed under its own weight,” said Msimanga.

Lesufi announced on Wednesday that he was disbanding the wardens shortly before the public protector’s announcement. Msimanga said the sudden disbandment vindicates the DA and confirms what it has suspected and warned about.

“The programme was poorly planned, was very costly, and had no genuine intention of empowering these desperate men and women to become peace officers. Instead, it was merely a gimmick to score cheap political points. The programme has been highly criticised because of damages and losses incurred. Some wardens lost their lives. The truth has finally caught up with Lesufi, forcing him to reconsider this ill-conceived decision,” said Msimanga.

“It was inevitable that the arrogant and goalpost-shifting Lesufi would not have disbanded this unlawful project until he was left with absolutely nowhere to turn. Were it not for the persistent pressure from the DA and the damning remarks by KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who confirmed before the parliamentary ad hoc committee that the Amapanyaza were unlawful and not sanctioned under the South African Police Service Act, Lesufi would have carried on.”

The DA said it would seek clarification on the process by which the retraining of Amapanyaza members will be formally accredited and recognised by relevant institutions or potential employers.

“Additionally, we will request transparency regarding the funding source for this retraining initiative. The residents of Gauteng deserve absolute openness and honesty from their provincial government.

“The time for lies, deception and exploiting the plight of thousands of desperate job-seekers in Gauteng must come to an end. This is the end of the road for Premier Lesufi. The public protector report is an indictment that he is not fit to govern Gauteng,” said Msimanga.

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