Overview
- Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told a parliamentary ad hoc committee the Gauteng crime prevention wardens were unlawfully formed and cannot be incorporated into the Police Act.
- He said former police minister Bheki Cele declined to sign off on the unit, leaving it outside the legal framework for policing.
- The Gauteng government rejected the claim of illegality and said the wardens have legally assumed traffic-officer duties.
- A provincial spokesperson said Minister Ronald Lamola designated the wardens as peace officers in December 2023 under Section 334, a point not confirmed by national police leaders.
- The Justice Ministry says legal analysis is ongoing to align the wardens’ status with traffic-officer frameworks and training standards set by the Road Traffic Management Corporation.