EFF slams AmaPanyaza as a ‘jobs-for-votes’ scheme after Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's claims of illegality
KwaZulu-Natal SAPS commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told Parliament’s ad hoc committee that while Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s intentions may have been noble, the creation of AmaPanyaza was not sanctioned by law
Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng has entered the fray over the legal standing of Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s Crime Prevention Wardens, popularly known as AmaPanyaza, following remarks by KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi before Parliament this week.
EFF Gauteng provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said Mkhwanazi’s comments had vindicated the party’s long-held position that the controversial unit was unlawfully established.
“Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi’s remarks confirm what the EFF has been saying from day one — that this so-called Crime Prevention or Traffic Warden unit was created without any legal foundation,” said Dunga.
EFF Gauteng provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga
Image: Supplied
“From inception to date, this unit does not meet the necessary legal requirements to function as a legitimate law enforcement agency.”
Dunga said the EFF had repeatedly raised questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature about how the unit was formed, how it was funded, and what its operational status was.
“We have always asked: on what budgetary basis was this unit established, and what is its legal standing?” he said.
“Instead of clear answers, the premier has chosen to hide behind technicalities, misleading the public by claiming these wardens are ‘peace officers’ under the Criminal Procedure Act.”
According to Dunga, the EFF believes the establishment of the wardens ahead of the 2024 elections was a “reckless and opportunistic jobs-for-votes scheme”, designed to create an illusion of mass employment among Gauteng’s youth.
“This was never a sustainable, long-term employment initiative,” he added. “It was an electioneering tool by the ANC to solicit votes through false promises of permanent jobs.”
The EFF further alleged that many wardens were recruited through ANC patronage, with some allegedly conducting party activities while on duty.
The Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens, popularly known as “AmaPanyaza”.
Image: Supplied
“Most of these wardens were recruited based on their ANC membership status and continue to use state resources to advance party interests,” Dunga said. “This corruption of policing through political loyalty is dangerous and unlawful.”
He said many of the recruits continued to work under unsafe and exploitative conditions.
“They remain unarmed, ill-equipped, and exposed to danger, harassment and violence while performing duties they are not legally empowered to execute,” said Dunga. “Some have even lost their lives in the line of duty.”
Dunga said the EFF felt vindicated by Mkhwanazi’s parliamentary submission.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said he previously reiterated that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi's establishment of the provincial crime-fighting unit popularly known as “AmaPanyaza” was illegal.
Image: File/Gauteng Community Safety
“Once again, the EFF has been proven right. We have maintained a principled and lawful stance on this issue from the beginning,” he said. “We will continue to expose the lies and hold the Gauteng government accountable for misleading our people.”
Earlier this week, IOL reported that Mkhwanazi told Parliament’s ad hoc committee that while Lesufi’s intentions may have been noble, the creation of AmaPanyaza was not sanctioned by law.
The Gauteng government has defended the initiative, insisting that the wardens are legally recognised as peace officers under the Criminal Procedure Act, and that their deployment forms part of the province’s broader strategy to fight crime and create jobs.
Gauteng provincial government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.
Image: File/X
Speaking on behalf of the provincial government, spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said on Thursday that the Gauteng Traffic Wardens are a legitimate and lawful crime prevention unit.
"The provincial government has no intention of litigating sweeping statements. However, it rejects the assertion that the formation of the traffic wardens showed contempt for the rule of law and categorically dismisses the allegation that the Gauteng Traffic Wardens are an illegal entity.
"In December 2023, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Ronald Lamola, officially designated the Crime Prevention Wardens as peace officers in terms of Section 334 of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1977," said Mhlanga.
"This legal designation granted them the same legal status as Gauteng traffic officers. The Gauteng Traffic Wardens initiative was always grounded in the principles of the South African Constitution, which mandates cooperative governance and requires all spheres of government, national and provincial, to 'cooperate with one another in mutual trust and good faith'."
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