The news that a Gauteng crime-prevention warden, stationed at the Crime Prevention Unit in Germiston, was shot whilst responding to a robbery is deeply disturbing. This follows closely on the heels of five wardens who were hospitalised after being ambushed by 12 armed suspects in Daveyton last month.
Whilst we are relieved that the warden, Vinchenzo Lodewyk, survived this heinous attack, the incident underlines grave systemic failures by the provincial government to ensure that our crime-fighting infrastructure and human resources are both adequately capacitated and fully functional.
The fact that crime-prevention wardens, popularly known as AmaPanyaza, are often placed in harm’s way without full support or resources is unacceptable. These are frontline men and women putting themselves at risk every day – they deserve the full backing of government.
The provincial government has repeatedly promised to fully appoint, train and equip its crime-prevention wardens. Too often, promises remain on paper: incomplete rollout, delayed recruitment and insufficient equipment. This incident is a stark consequence of government being slow to act.
From the three wardens who were attacked in Reiger Park, Boksburg, in September 2024, Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has always been the first to condemn these attacks, with promises of full integration. Yet, to date, none of those promises have been implemented. Is our provincial government waiting for the day when crime wardens are massacred before taking substantive action?
We continue witnessing a scenario where frontline staff are placed in extreme danger, not because of the unpredictability of crime alone, but because government structures are just not ready. Instead of preventing or mitigating risks through planning, the government is forced into reaction mode after tragedy strikes.
ActionSA Calls for:
- The provincial government to immediately fast-track the full appointment of all crime-prevention wardens, ensuring every post is filled, every warden properly trained, equipped and protected.
- A full review to be undertaken to determine what support systems were lacking in this specific incident: staffing levels, backup protocols, equipment, or communication.
- Transparent timelines to be published for when every wardenship will be fully operationalised, together with metrics to track progress.
- The government to invest in sustainable models of community-based protection that supports not only wardens, but the communities they serve, through appropriate resources, intelligence and coordination with the South African Police Service and local municipalities.
An attack on a crime-prevention warden is an attack on all of us. It exposes how deeply vulnerable our citizens are when government fails to deliver on its basic responsibilities. With the festive season upon us, which often brings an increase in criminality, it would be an abdication of responsibility by the executive not to fast track the capacitation of wardens.
The danger faced by those who serve must be matched by the government’s urgency to gear up fully – not tomorrow, not in bureaucratic years, but now.
The people of Gauteng expect and deserve nothing less.
ActionSA Dismayed at Another Tragic Incident Involving Gauteng Crime Prevention Warden, Calls for Fast-tracked Capacitation
The news that a Gauteng crime-prevention warden, stationed at the Crime Prevention Unit in Germiston, was shot whilst responding to a robbery is deeply disturbing. This follows closely on the heels of five wardens who were hospitalised after being ambushed by 12 armed suspects in Daveyton last month.
Whilst we are relieved that the warden, Vinchenzo Lodewyk, survived this heinous attack, the incident underlines grave systemic failures by the provincial government to ensure that our crime-fighting infrastructure and human resources are both adequately capacitated and fully functional.
The fact that crime-prevention wardens, popularly known as AmaPanyaza, are often placed in harm’s way without full support or resources is unacceptable. These are frontline men and women putting themselves at risk every day – they deserve the full backing of government.
The provincial government has repeatedly promised to fully appoint, train and equip its crime-prevention wardens. Too often, promises remain on paper: incomplete rollout, delayed recruitment and insufficient equipment. This incident is a stark consequence of government being slow to act.
From the three wardens who were attacked in Reiger Park, Boksburg, in September 2024, Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has always been the first to condemn these attacks, with promises of full integration. Yet, to date, none of those promises have been implemented. Is our provincial government waiting for the day when crime wardens are massacred before taking substantive action?
We continue witnessing a scenario where frontline staff are placed in extreme danger, not because of the unpredictability of crime alone, but because government structures are just not ready. Instead of preventing or mitigating risks through planning, the government is forced into reaction mode after tragedy strikes.
ActionSA Calls for:
An attack on a crime-prevention warden is an attack on all of us. It exposes how deeply vulnerable our citizens are when government fails to deliver on its basic responsibilities. With the festive season upon us, which often brings an increase in criminality, it would be an abdication of responsibility by the executive not to fast track the capacitation of wardens.
The danger faced by those who serve must be matched by the government’s urgency to gear up fully – not tomorrow, not in bureaucratic years, but now.
The people of Gauteng expect and deserve nothing less.