Johannesburg – The abbreviation for Gauteng Province, “GP,” has been informally interpreted as “Gangsters Paradise,” seemingly instilling enough fear in city officials to warrant an increase in personal security measures.
Considering that Gauteng accounts for 26.9% of all documented crimes in the country, it is hardly surprising that the mayor of Johannesburg is requesting at least 10 bodyguards, while the Speaker believes that eight would offer more reassurance.
The pressing concern remains that residents, who are already dealing with various criminal activities, will ultimately shoulder the financial responsibility of ensuring the safety of the mayor and Speaker.
Thus, the security-conscious City of Johannesburg opted to implement a VIP protection policy on 20 March 2024.
“We promptly expressed our objections within the Council and cautioned the City that this policy violates constitutional limits, urging them to revoke it,” said Cllr Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Johannesburg Caucus Leader.
“Nonetheless, the ANC-EFF-PA-ActionSA coalition mocked our worries and used their majority to push this through the council.”
From the beginning, there appeared to be considerable issues with this policy, particularly as the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs limits the number of bodyguards to two for the mayor and other officials.
On Thursday (2 January 2025), the Johannesburg High Court deemed the City’s VIP protection policy “unconstitutional and invalid.”
It’s no surprise that the DA in Johannesburg is celebrating, noting that they “started 2025 on a positive note, achieving victory in our legal challenge against the City of Johannesburg’s VIP protection policy.”
Cllr Kayser-Echeozonjoku stated, “Sadly, the City has once again been reminded of the costly consequences of ignoring the rule of law.”
However, the decision has been temporarily suspended until 14 February 2025, allowing the City of Johannesburg time to conduct a “threat and risk analysis” to validate the necessity for extra bodyguards for the mayor and Speaker.
“We’re not anticipating much from this, considering their failure to provide such assessments for over a year,” remarked Cllr Kayser-Echeozonjoku.
“The DA has consistently maintained that funding should focus on residents rather than lavish VIP protection for politicians.
“We remain dedicated to advocating for the residents of Johannesburg and upholding the rule of law.
“This is what the City of Johannesburg will now be compelled to comply with.”
