Lesufi defends AmaPanyaza move: ‘I requested 10,000 Officers, SAPS said no’

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has defended the AmaPanyaza launch, insisting the initiative was formed out of frustration with the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) refusal to bolster the province’s stretched policing ranks.

In an interview with 702 on Thursday night, Lesufi revealed that before launching the programme in 2023 under his Nasi Ispani initiative, he had proposed a plan to fund and deploy 10,000 additional police officers in Gauteng - fully paid for by the provincial government.

However, he said the SAPS rejected the offer, citing legal and budgetary restrictions under the Division of Revenue Act.

“I told the provincial commissioner, I’m prepared to fund 10,000 policemen based solely in Gauteng. We’d pay their salaries, uniforms, cars, and overtime,” Lesufi said.

“We even budgeted R8 billion for this. But I was told it’s not possible because one arm of the state cannot sponsor another.”

With the proposal dismissed, Lesufi said he was left with no choice but to launch a provincial alternative, AmaPanyaza, tasked with improving street-level policing and visibility in high-crime communities.

“When my offer to have 10,000 policemen paid by us was declined, we had to go to Plan B. We had all the resources, CCTV cameras, helicopters, but no foot soldiers,” he explained.

The AmaPanyaza programme, however, was dissolved last week after it was found to be illegal formed.

Despite the setback, Lesufi maintained that the initiative was well-intentioned and legally defensible, saying he had consulted with the SAPS before implementation.

“My only aim was to strengthen police visibility and protect our communities,” Lesufi said, stressing that crime in Gauteng remained one of the province’s most urgent challenges.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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