Premier Panyaza Lesufi continues to fail to protect Gauteng residents, particularly women, despite boasting about his highly advanced, technologically crime-fighting techniques. To date, eight women’s bodies have been found in Ekurhuleni, six of them found in Kempton Park.
The Democratic Alliance Gauteng demands that Lesufi must walk the talk and stop his public relations exercise while lives are in danger. He must engage with the acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, to ensure sufficient resources are allocated across all police stations to guarantee safety.
Lesufi’s reaction to these senseless killings of women was to implement a lockdown in Kempton Park starting tomorrow. He made this announcement earlier today during his press briefing. This is just another gimmick by failed Lesufi. He is quick to respond to problems but struggles to implement effective solutions.
The issue of safety and crime in Gauteng is aggravated by the failures of provincial government to meet its basic duties and the targets it has set for itself. One area where Lesufi, as MEC of Community Safety, has utterly failed is in ensuring that police stations have the capacity to keep the public safe.
During numerous oversight inspections by the DA Gauteng, we found that many police officers are working in buildings with inadequate infrastructure. This does not create a conducive work environment. At the Kempton Park police station, there is a shortage of detectives, with over 100 cases that need to be solved.
During his State of the Province Address (SOPA) in 2025, the Premier said they would use technology such as e-panic buttons, CCTV cameras, and helicopters to fight and prevent crime. This is one amongst many broken promises by Lesufi.
Where are the thousands of CCTV cameras Lesufi promised?
An airwing with three helicopters was promised in 2025; however, it is grounded due to a R197.4 million procurement scandal.
Lesufi is a man of promises, not action.
Previously, the Premier went to Ekurhuleni and promised that the issue of illegal miners ‘zama-zamas’ would be dealt with by having increased police presence on the ground. Once the media cameras left, the situation went back to normal. How will his lockdown gimmick be different in terms of the safety of women?
The DA would empower police officers to fight crime according to their needs by implementing a decentralised approach to policing, giving provinces the ability to allocate their resources based on their needs.
Gauteng residents deserve to live, work, and school where they feel safe; women must be free to walk alone without fear of violent crimes such as murder and kidnapping.