Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi questioned the operational capacity of the Honeydew SAPS station on Monday 14 September 2026, saying he does not believe the station only has four vehicles to serve the public and suggesting the situation could reflect a lack of planning at the station. Image: Supplied/Gauteng Provincial Government
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says he does not believe the SAPS station in Honeydew only has four vehicles to serve the public. The Lesufi Honeydew SAPS four cars statement came on Monday 14 September 2026 during his visit to the Kempton Park area. Five women’s bodies have been found in the Rhodesfield area over the past two months. Furthermore, Lesufi said the situation at Honeydew could point to a lack of planning rather than a genuine resource shortage. As a result, his comments placed the spotlight on police resources in Gauteng at a moment when public anger about women’s safety is at a peak.
Lesufi did not specify the source of the Honeydew vehicle figure. His remarks suggest the information came from community members during his visit. He questioned how a busy Gauteng police station could work with only four vehicles. Furthermore, his comments about a possible lack of planning signal that he views the problem as one of management rather than budget. As a result, the Honeydew station’s management could face scrutiny from the Gauteng provincial government soon.
Lesufi’s Honeydew comments came on the same day he responded to the Kempton Park murders with sharp language. “We can’t normalise madness. This is madness,” he said about the discovery of five women’s bodies. His blunt comments about police resourcing reflect frustration among Gauteng’s political leadership. Furthermore, top SAPS officers convened an urgent meeting in Gauteng on Monday morning after the fifth body was found. As a result, pressure on both national and provincial police management is building fast.
Resource problems at South African police stations are a known and serious issue. The SAPS vehicle fleet deteriorated significantly over the past decade. Budget cuts, poor maintenance and high replacement costs all contributed. Many stations run with fewer vehicles than they need to cover their areas. Response times suffer and communities in poorer areas often wait longest for help. Furthermore, Gauteng has some of the highest crime rates in the country. Its police stations carry enormous workloads relative to available resources. As a result, Lesufi’s Honeydew comments touch on a national problem that has never been fully addressed.
SAPS had not responded to Lesufi’s Honeydew comments at the time of publication.
Read more: Fifth Body Found Near Kempton Park as Community Protests Outside Police Station
Editors Note The claim that Honeydew SAPS station has only four vehicles has not been verified or confirmed by SAPS at the time of publication. All information is based on Lesufi’s public comments on 14 September 2026.