South African province paid R52.8 million to crime prevention wardens who sit at home doing nothing

The Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison in Mpumalanga paid R52.8 million to 1,200 crime prevention wardens who have been sitting at home.

This was revealed by Teboho Sekaledi, a Member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature and the DA Spokesperson on Community Safety and Security.

The issue dates back to September 2024, when Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Jackie Macie deployed 1,200 crime-prevention wardens.

The wardens were set to work with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the 90 Police Stations across Mpumalanga.

The new crime prevention wardens were given 24-month contracts at a monthly stipend of R4,000 each.

Sekaledi said the crime prevention wardens have voiced frustration at not being used since October 2025.

However, these wardens are still getting their R4,000 stipend despite sitting at home and doing nothing.

This means that from October 2025 up to date, the department has already paid R52.8 million to the crime prevention wardens for doing nothing.

They have written to Premier Mandla Ndlovu asking him to act against the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison for its wasteful and fruitless expenditure.

Another problem, Sekaledi said, was that Macie may have misled the Portfolio Committee on Community Safety, Security and Liaison.

This is because he reported that the wardens have been converted to gender based violence and femicide (GBVF) brigades.

He added that these brigades were deployed in police stations across the province to help strengthen community-based prevention and fight against GBVF.

“According to wardens who spoke to the DA on condition of anonymity, none of them has been deployed as GBVF Brigades,” Sekaledi said.

“They are also concerned about their status when their CPW contracts come to an end in November this year.”

He said that in January 2026, the wardens underwent a two-week training program aimed at converting them into traffic wardens.

“They were promised that they would be responsible for school safety, ensuring children cross roads safely at designated crossings,” he said.

“They were set to monitor pedestrian access, manage traffic flow near schools, and help enforce speed limits, particularly in school zones during peak hours.”

“However, they have not been deployed anywhere. They are sitting at home, frustrated, while still getting the R4,000 stipend.”