ActionSA welcomes the Public Protector’s Report No. 21 of 2025/26, which found Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s Crime Prevention Wardens (AmaPanyaza) programme to be unlawful, irregular, and unconstitutional.
The report confirms what ActionSA has consistently warned since 2023: that the Premier’s decision to establish a parallel policing structure violated the separation of powers and the limits of provincial competence under Section 41(1)(f) and (g) of the Constitution.
In terms of Section 182(1)(c) of the Constitution, the Public Protector’s remedial action is binding unless set aside by a court of law. Premier Lesufi therefore has no discretion to ignore the findings or delay their implementation.
The remedial directives require the Premier to submit a comprehensive report within 30 days, and to ensure full compliance within 180 days. Yet his public comments, notably to the AmaPanyaza, declaring “Where you’re going to die, I’m going to die with you” show open defiance of these constitutional obligations.
ActionSA will now take concrete steps to enforce compliance through the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
We will:
- Table a Legislative Oversight Motion calling for the implementation of the Public Protector’s remedial recommendations and a clear compliance timeline for Premier Lesufi in his capacity as Executive Authority for Community Safety.
- Through OCPOL and the Community Safety Committee, seek to summon the Premier and his officials to provide detailed reports on:
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- The steps being taken to regularise or terminate the unlawful AmaPanyaza structure; and
- The financial and legal implications of continuing the programme in defiance of the Public Protector’s report.
As Members of the Legislature, we will use every constitutional mechanism available to ensure compliance from motions and committee oversight to formal reporting obligations.
This is not about politics; it is about restoring legality, protecting the public purse, and upholding the Constitution. ActionSA’s role is to ensure that governance in Gauteng is guided by law, not by political theatre.
“Premier Lesufi’s refusal to implement the Public Protector’s findings represents open defiance of the Constitution,” said ActionSA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson Funzi Ngobeni.
“ActionSA will not allow the rule of law to be optional in Gauteng. We will hold him accountable through every available legislative process.”
ActionSA’s commitment to accountability remains unwavering. We have previously referred this matter to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and raised it with the South African Human Rights Commission. The Public Protector’s findings vindicate our consistent stance that Premier Lesufi’s government has misused public resources to run an unlawful, politically driven project.
Accountability in ACTION!
Public Protector’s Report on Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens: ActionSA Takes Steps to Hold Premier Lesufi Accountable
ActionSA welcomes the Public Protector’s Report No. 21 of 2025/26, which found Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s Crime Prevention Wardens (AmaPanyaza) programme to be unlawful, irregular, and unconstitutional.
The report confirms what ActionSA has consistently warned since 2023: that the Premier’s decision to establish a parallel policing structure violated the separation of powers and the limits of provincial competence under Section 41(1)(f) and (g) of the Constitution.
In terms of Section 182(1)(c) of the Constitution, the Public Protector’s remedial action is binding unless set aside by a court of law. Premier Lesufi therefore has no discretion to ignore the findings or delay their implementation.
The remedial directives require the Premier to submit a comprehensive report within 30 days, and to ensure full compliance within 180 days. Yet his public comments, notably to the AmaPanyaza, declaring “Where you’re going to die, I’m going to die with you” show open defiance of these constitutional obligations.
ActionSA will now take concrete steps to enforce compliance through the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
We will:
As Members of the Legislature, we will use every constitutional mechanism available to ensure compliance from motions and committee oversight to formal reporting obligations.
This is not about politics; it is about restoring legality, protecting the public purse, and upholding the Constitution. ActionSA’s role is to ensure that governance in Gauteng is guided by law, not by political theatre.
“Premier Lesufi’s refusal to implement the Public Protector’s findings represents open defiance of the Constitution,” said ActionSA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson Funzi Ngobeni.
“ActionSA will not allow the rule of law to be optional in Gauteng. We will hold him accountable through every available legislative process.”
ActionSA’s commitment to accountability remains unwavering. We have previously referred this matter to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and raised it with the South African Human Rights Commission. The Public Protector’s findings vindicate our consistent stance that Premier Lesufi’s government has misused public resources to run an unlawful, politically driven project.
Accountability in ACTION!