By Thapelo Molefe
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has declared that the provincial government’s controversial heavy investment in surveillance technology and mass recruitment of crime wardens is yielding results, citing a double-digit decrease in murder rates and the arrest of over 100 criminal “kingpins.”
Delivering the 2026 State of the Province Address (SOPA), Lesufi struck a defiant tone against critics who had previously dismissed his crime-fighting strategies as political theatre.
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“When we introduced the three helicopters to fight crime in our province, our interventions were labelled gimmicks. When we declared that we would install almost 20,000 CCTVs, we were told it’s pie in the sky,” Lesufi told the legislature.
According to statistics released by the Premier, these technological interventions, combined with the deployment of nearly 10,000 young crime fighters (Nasi iSpani), have driven murder down by 11% year-on-year. Sexual offences have dropped by 8%, and property-related crime has decreased by 7.8%.
A key component of the province’s safety strategy involves direct citizen engagement through the e-panic button app. Lesufi reported that over 170,000 residents have downloaded the application.
“About 60,000 [residents] have used it to call for help,” Lesufi said, urging more residents to utilise the technology, particularly to combat Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
The Premier outlined a marked shift toward intelligence-driven operations targeting organised crime leadership. He revealed that intelligence services had profiled 392 criminal kingpins operating within the province.
“We have now arrested 101,” Lesufi announced. “We are also pleased that our police have shown no mercy upon those who meant to harm them.”
He confirmed that 26 criminals were killed during armed confrontations with police and noted the arrest of 11 cash-in-transit heist leaders.
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Addressing the crisis of illegal mining, particularly on the West Rand, Lesufi welcomed the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to the province.
He cited a recent joint operation in the area that resulted in the recovery of 75 AK-47 rifles and significant ammunition.
The Premier highlighted the province’s crackdown on the rampant theft of copper cables and vandalism of public infrastructure, which has caused widespread power outages and economic disruption.
Lesufi detailed a recent intelligence-driven operation in De Deur, Sedibeng, where a specialised infrastructure unit recovered copper cable worth R3 million and arrested five suspects.
To combat the vandalism of traffic signals, the provincial government is partnering with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to pilot alternative technologies designed to deter theft.
Turning to internal governance, Lesufi admitted that human interference in supply chain management remains the primary driver of public sector corruption.
In response, the Premier announced the introduction of “TenderSwift,” a new digital procurement system.
“We are proud to introduce a paperless process coupled with non-human interference to further strengthen our open tender system,” Lesufi said.
The system is designed to modernise manual tender processes and eliminate opportunities for bribery and manipulation.
The Premier also provided statistics on the province’s war on drugs, stating that authorities have removed over 7 million grams of dagga, 94,000 grams of cocaine, and 702 million mandrax tablets from the streets.
Additionally, in a move to protect the local economy from illicit trade, which recently contributed to British American Tobacco closing its Heidelberg plant, provincial authorities confiscated counterfeit goods valued at R250.2 million in the last year.
“Despite all the ridicule that we received, today we can report that… crime in Gauteng is going down,” Lesufi concluded.
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