Gauteng logs 3,0% fall in contact crime as Lesufi refers 20 officials to the SIU

Contact crimes in Gauteng fell 3,0% in the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, Premier Panyaza Lesufi said on Wednesday, in a briefing that also confirmed 20 provincial officials have been referred to the Special Investigating Unit and put the cost of a failed leasing arrangement at R558 million.

The figures were delivered at a media briefing on the provincial government’s programme of action. They landed in the same week that the bodies of eight women were found in separate incidents across Ekurhuleni, a development Lesufi called heartbreaking and deeply disturbing, and one he said had shocked the province.

“Every woman has the right to live free from fear, violence and harm, and the loss of these lives is a tragedy for their families, loved ones and communities,” he said. The Premier said the province reaffirms its commitment to supporting law enforcement agencies as they investigate the incidents, bring those responsible to justice and apply the full might of the law.

The audits, and the 20 names that are not in the room

Lifestyle audits targeting supply chain management and finance officials are under way across the provincial administration. Lesufi said 3 671 officials have submitted their lifestyle audit forms, and that the reports for the Office of the Premier and Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs have been finalised.

The Premier has asked the Special Investigating Unit to conduct a comprehensive forensic investigation into the lifestyles of 14 officials from the Office of the Premier, eight of them rated high risk and six medium risk, and six officials from Gauteng COGTA, two rated high risk and four medium risk. In total, 20 officials from the two departments have been referred for further investigation.

The referral is a question put to the SIU rather than an outcome. No official has been charged, and the briefing did not name any of the 20. Whether the unit’s investigation produces disciplinary action or prosecution is the step that now matters, and it is the step the province has not yet put a date on.

R558 million, and buildings that stood empty

The briefing also closed a long-running file. A forensic investigation into lease agreements that left state-owned buildings vacant while private properties were rented has been concluded, and the province put the irregular expenditure at some R558 million.

The findings identify the absence of proper procurement or approved deviation processes, weak contract management including automatic lease renewals and repeated month-to-month extensions, and non-compliance with the approval processes required for contract extensions and month-to-month agreements.

Lesufi said he has noted the findings and will ensure all recommendations are implemented as a matter of priority. He said the province remains committed to strengthening governance, improving accountability and managing public resources efficiently in the interests of the people of Gauteng.

That is the accountability question in its plainest form. The investigation is finished and the findings are on the table. What the public now waits for is the consequence, and the briefing did not set out a timetable for it.

24 390 HIV prevention initiations in three months

On health, the province reported that the bi-annual HIV prevention injection Lenacapavir has been rolled out across 133 health facilities in five districts since June 2026. Between June and August, the Department of Health recorded 24 390 new initiations.

“The injection is given twice a year and can reduce the risk of HIV acquisition when used alongside safer-sex practices,” Lesufi said, noting that initiates are protected against HIV for six months.

The scale of that rollout is the strongest operational number in the briefing. A six-monthly injectable removes a daily pill from the equation, and 133 facilities across five districts is the kind of reach that decides whether a prevention tool works in practice or only in a trial.

Gautrain handover set for 28 September

Negotiations for a new Gautrain concessionaire have concluded, and National Treasury has granted the approvals needed for the project to reach financial close. The new concessionaire is due to start operations on 28 September 2026.

Lesufi described the phase as exciting for the province, pointing to expanded operating hours, expanded taxi routes for feeder services, infrastructure upgrades at various stations, additional trainsets and the introduction of renewable energy.

The Premier acknowledged that challenges remain, naming water supply problems, ongoing public violence and the rapid growth of informal settlements. He said the province is tackling these through Operation Shanela, digital monitoring tools and the completion of targeted schools, supported by the lifestyle audits, the Kopanong Precinct forensic investigation and reforms in financial management.

This report is drawn from the provincial government’s own account of the briefing, published by SAnews, the South African Government News Agency, which is a summary of the Premier’s remarks rather than a full transcript. The 3,0% crime figure is a first-quarter number and is reported as the province released it.

Source: SAnews (South African Government News Agency), Lesufi outlines progress made on provincial action plan, https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/lesufi-outlines-progress-made-provincial-action-plan