news.reporter1959@gmail.com

The Economic Freedom Fighters in Gauteng has welcomed what it called the long-overdue decision by Premier Panyaza Lesufi to disband the so-called Crime Prevention Wardens, which it described as ‘a reckless, illegal, and politically motivated experiment that has now collapsed under the weight of its own corruption and incompetence’. 

The EFF said it, however, rejects with the utmost contempt the proposal to phase out this discredited unit over a period of 36 months. “There is no justification for continuing to waste public resources on a failed project that was never meant to exist in the first place. This unit must be dissolved immediately, not over three years, and every cent looted under its name must be accounted for. From the beginning, the EFF has been the lone and consistent voice exposing the illegitimacy of this structure. We have repeatedly warned that it was nothing more than an ANC election campaign disguised as a crime-fighting initiative, a populist ploy to buy loyalty through patronage, masquerading as job creation,” said Gauteng EFF spokesperson Dumisani Baleni. 

Baleni said the province’s scarce resources were shamelessly diverted to fund this political circus, where ANC-aligned foot soldiers were paraded in stadiums to receive fake appointments, in total disregard of legislation on policing and traffic management. These ANC volunteers were not only unqualified and untrained to fight crime, but they were also irresponsibly empowered and unleashed into communities without the necessary legal framework or competence.

“This reckless act placed their own lives and the lives of innocent civilians in danger, while emboldening criminals who know they face an amateur, unregulated force. The so-called Crime Prevention Wardens have done absolutely nothing to make Gauteng safer. Instead, they have deepened chaos, created administrative confusion within law enforcement structures, and undermined professional policing. The project stands as a monument to Lesufi’s arrogance, desperation, and political opportunism. 

“The EFF demands the immediate disbandment of this illegal unit and the redirection of all its resources toward building a professional, well-trained, and well-equipped police service. Lesufi must stop hiding behind phased implementation plans, admit his failure, and be held personally accountable for this waste of public funds. The EFF will continue to expose and confront all forms of corruption, patronage, and political manipulation that compromise the safety of our people.

“No amount of spin or delay will erase the truth: the so-called Crime Prevention Wardens were a scam from day one, and their downfall is a victory for accountability and revolutionary consistency,” Baleni concluded.