Panyaza Lesufi

SOPA 2026 | Gauteng has no water crisis, only infrastructure failures: Lesufi

Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has rejected claims that the province is facing a water availability crisis, insisting the current challenges stem from ageing infrastructure, leaks and peak demand pressures rather than a shortage of bulk supply. Delivering his fourth State of the Province Address in Johannesburg on Monday night, Lesufi sought to reassure frustrated residents who have endured prolonged outages, low pressure and inconsistent supply across parts of the metro. […]

February 24, 2026 20

News

Gauteng steps up foot-and-mouth disease response, backs local vaccine production

Gauteng Agriculture and Rural Development MEC, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, says South Africa’s recurring Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks have highlighted the urgent need to rebuild the country’s local vaccine manufacturing capacity. This comes as the province intensifies efforts to contain the highly contagious disease, following the rollout of the national FMD response plan and the approval of Gauteng’s own provincial strategy. Briefing the media on Tuesday, Ramokgopa said Gauteng’s response is guided […]

January 27, 2026 48

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Lesufi highlights G20 security challenges as province boosts anti-crime measures

Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, says that while the G20 Leaders’ Summit, has been celebrated as a major success for the province, it unfolded under a backdrop of criminal incidents, significant operational spending, and renewed calls for tougher anti-crime intervention ahead of next year’s local government elections. - International guests targeted during G20 weekend - Lesufi revealed that several international visitors were targeted by criminals during the summit at the weekend. […]

November 25, 2025 41

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Lesufi survives DA no-confidence bid, parties slam motion as political opportunism

Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has survived a series of political blows after the Democratic Alliance (DA)’s motion of no confidence against him was decisively rejected by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature on Friday. The DA accused Lesufi of unlawfully establishing the now-discontinued AmaPanyaza Crime Prevention Warden Unit — a programme it claims cost the province more than R2-billion and was implemented without a legal mandate. The party also alleged that Lesufi […]

November 14, 2025 60

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Lesufi vows tight security for G20 Summit, promises to regularise AmaPanyaza

Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has issued a stern warning to anyone planning to test the province’s security ahead of the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit. Briefing the media on Tuesday, Lesufi said Gauteng is fully prepared to host the global event in the coming weeks, with all major concerns addressed and resolved. Lesufi said the province is fully prepared to host the G20 Summit, with key venues and infrastructure secured ahead […]

November 4, 2025 50

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Public Protector gives Lesufi five months to reclassify Crime Prevention Wardens as traffic officers

The Public Protector has found that the establishment and rollout of Gauteng’s Crime Prevention Wardens — widely known as AmaPanyaza — were unlawful and irregular, slamming the provincial government for breaching constitutional and legal procedures. In a damning report released on Wednesday, Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka criticised the Gauteng Department of Community Safety for proceeding without proper legal authority, saying the move violated the Constitution and several other laws. "The law […]

October 23, 2025 65

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Lesufi pulls the plug on AmaPanyaza, to be retrained as traffic officers

Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has announced that the Crime Prevention Wardens Programme — commonly known as AmaPanyaza — will be disbanded to allow members to undergo formal training and transition into provincial traffic officers. Introduced in 2023 to support law enforcement efforts, the programme has faced controversy, with critics questioning the wardens’ training and legal status. That same year, then Justice Minister Ronald Lamola designated them as peace officers, but […]

October 22, 2025 143