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Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has come out guns blazing in defence of his formation of the Crime Prevention Wardens, popularly known as Amapanyaza after his first name.

Lesufi, a former long-standing spokesperson of the Gauteng Department of Education and later MEC of the same department, said he was not fazed by name calling and calls for a vote of no confidence on him, saying ‘I had formed Amapanyaza in reply to community cries for the establishment of safer communities around Gauteng’.

“Our communities were being swallowed by crime and criminals and as the head of the province, I had to take a stand and answer to the cries of the community and I did so by the formation of wardens to protect our vulnerable communities. If you want a vote of no confidence, bring it on,” Lesufi said.

Lesufi said those who want his head for the phased disbandment of Amapanyaza [crime squeezers] can go ahead with the vote of no confidence but I am certain I will survive that as I created this force for good and not as other want us to believe it was a force formed for electioneering purposes.

“This head is still standing and even after their vote of no confidence, this head will still be standing. I am not going anywhere anytime soon. This force was not a waste of taxpayers money but a bold move designed to ensure the safety of our communities in face of rampant crime that is devouring them,” Lesufi insisted.

The Premier was responding to moves by the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters, who said they had always told Lesufi that the structure was an illegitimate and illegal structure formed in the face of the upcoming Local Government Elections next year as a means to save face amid a crumbling voter confidence on the ANC.

“This is not an attempt to sway voters to the ANC but is purely an answer to cries of the community to ensure their safety. It is equally not a waste of taxpayers money but a bold move to ensure the safety of our vulnerable communities in the face of rising crime.

“We are going to properly legalise the structure, provide vigorous training in all manner of policing crime and then infuse Amapanyaza into the legal structures of the police service and Metro police.

“This was not a voting buying scheme as many want us to believe but I set out to answer the community calls for a safer environment. The problem we have in this country is that you act and you’re doomed and you don’t and you’re equally doomed. This becomes a catch 22 situation,” Lesufi said.