Lesufi insists Crime Prevention Wardens were not just an election campaign

The controversial Crime Prevention Wardens programme is being shut down.

The wardens, informally referred to as AmaPanyaza, will be retrained to become provincial traffic officers.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says they felt this move would be the best way to ensure the wardens continue to support SAPS.

He adds that the Border Management Agency has requested that almost 100 of these wardens be retrained to support them in their work.

“For us it is just about repurposing and focusing on the task at hand, which is to push back the frontiers of crime in our province.”

Speaking to Mandy Wiener on 702, Lesufi insisted that this was not just an election campaign that is now being disbanded because it is no longer relevant.

“Whatever activity you do, if you create jobs, opportunities, recruit people to assist you, you will be accused of electioneering.”

To listen to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi in conversation with Mandy Wiener on the Midday Report on 702 and CapeTalk, click the audio player below: