Steenhuisen could face parliamentary probe over disparaging remarks

Steenhuisen could face parliamentary probe over disparaging remarks

DA leader John Steenhuisen could face a parliamentary probe over disparaging remarks he made recently about crime prevention wardens in Gauteng.

Last month the leader of the official opposition, while addressing supporters on a campaign trail in Soshanguve, sparked outrage with his comments.

“What did (Gauteng Premier) Panyaza Lesufi do? He took your tax money to buy ill-fitting Pep Stores uniforms for untrained cadres and pretended that they were ‘crime wardens’. What kind of person pulls a drunkard out of a shebeen, gives him a uniform and a weapon, and then unleashes them onto a community?”

The comments were posted on the DA’s X social media platform, provoked a public backlash against Steenhuisen, with many accusing him of racism, as most of the crime wardens are black.

Steenhuisen defended his stance on the crime wardens that some of them were “drunkards” and said his comments were not racist.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to apologise. I shop at Pep, 90% of my daughters’ clothing comes from Pep. I’m very proud to shop there, it’s value for money. There’s nothing racist about that,” Steenhuisen said.

On Tuesday, during a debate on the State of the Nation Address in Parliament, Gauteng Finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo called on Parliament to investigate Steenhuisen for disparaging remarks he made about the crime warden recruits.

“If he does not apologise and withdraw what he said, Parliament should consider taking strong action and we wait for feedback from this House to hold him accountable.”

The Mercury