News24 reports that despite widespread criticism, the Gauteng legislature’s community safety committee has come out in defence of a recently launched crime prevention unit, saying that the project would likely reduce crime throughout the province.

On Monday, 4,000 wardens were deployed in townships, informal settlements, and hostels. The community safety department has spent R450 million on the initiative. On Sunday, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Community Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko held a parade to introduce the wardens, who will work alongside law enforcement. But, following the parade, the programme was not only criticised by the public but by political parties as well. The DA in Gauteng described the wardens as "inexperienced" and "ill-equipped" and advised Lesufi to learn from the DA-led Western Cape Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) programme. In a statement on Tuesday, DA community safety spokesperson Crezane Bosch said the party had submitted questions to the Gauteng legislature to find out if Lesufi had followed national regulatory processes. Bosch said: “We can't afford to have wardens on the streets that do not comply with the regulations because they will become a danger to the lives of the Gauteng residents.” Following the launch, ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba also chipped in on Twitter, saying he had concerns about the project and labelled it "a recipe for disaster". His tweet read: "I have serious concerns about this initiative by @Lesufi. One cannot take unemployed youth and give them 3 months of training, equip them with guns, and then deploy them to fight crime. And without an operational command centre to oversee them."

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Malaika Ditabo at News24

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page