A prominent civil society organization has launched a scathing critique against a provincial government’s Crime Prevention Wardens, known as ‘amapanyaza,’ following the announcement of their repurposing. The Organization Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) claims the unit was illegally established to begin with, leading to potential legal and financial repercussions for the public.
OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage stated that the public protector’s office had already been critical of the wardens. He revealed that Faith Mazubuko, the former Community Safety MEC, had previously applied to have the unit formally recognized within the law, but that this approval was never granted.
“I think the premier and his team had a bit of a knee-jerk reaction and didn’t do their homework, weren’t well advised,” Duvenage said. “And again, this happens too often in government.”
He warned that the province now faces potential civil claims for arrests made and alleged beatings by the wardens, the cost of which would ultimately fall to taxpayers. While acknowledging a need to address crime, Duvenage insisted it must be done properly.
The criticism follows a public protector investigation which found that the KwaZulu-Natal premier had no legal basis to recruit, train, or deploy the wardens for police duties.
When asked what a legal reclassification would require, Duvenage was clear that provincial governments do not have the power to create their own police forces. He pointed to the Western Cape’s unsuccessful attempts to gain similar policing powers as evidence of a national-level issue.
“What the province needs to do is work with the national police,” he stated, emphasizing that crime prevention is a national policing function that requires collaboration.
Duvenage also questioned the motives behind the program, noting that if it was primarily for job creation, the government was acting as an “employment agency” rather than a security entity, and had failed to execute the plan lawfully in either case.
The future of the wardens remains uncertain as the provincial government moves to reclassify the unit, a process now under intense scrutiny from watchdog groups.