Johannesburg, As South Africa marks Youth Month, the Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) fully supports the Gauteng Traffic Wardens programme is helping strengthen visitors and residents safety, public confidence and destination readiness across the province.
Known widely as amapanyaza, the wardens are part of a broader provincial effort to build a safer, more welcoming Gauteng for residents and visitors alike. For the GTA, visible safety and coordinated law enforcement are essential to a quality visitor experience, especially in tourism hubs, event precincts and other high-traffic areas.
The programme also supports Gauteng’s wider tourism recovery and growth agenda. The province previously recorded 2.6 million international arrivals and more than R30 billion in foreign tourism spend in the 2024/25 reporting period, underlining tourism’s role in jobs, investment and competitiveness. Visitor confidence is closely linked to safety, service standards and ease of movement. That makes collaboration between law enforcement, tourism stakeholders and public institutions critical to keeping Gauteng attractive for leisure, business events, sport and lifestyle travel.
Across Gauteng’s five regions, wardens continue to support major events, community patrols, joint crime-prevention operations and peak travel periods. Their visibility and professionalism help create a safer, smoother visitor experience. The GTA has also trained more than 500 wardens in tourism information, event support and destination marketing, linking safety with visitor service while creating pathways for youth participation in the visitor economy.
Over the past three years, the GTA has used platforms such as Africa’s Travel Indaba to showcase Gauteng as an integrated destination where safety, youth empowerment, enterprise development and tourism growth go hand in hand. “The Gauteng Traffic Wardens programme shows what practical, people-centred partnership can achieve. When visitors feel safe, informed and welcomed, they are more likely to explore more of our province, stay longer and contribute to local economies. That is why we see this programme as both a community safety intervention and an enabler of tourism growth, youth empowerment and a stronger destination experience,” said Crezelda Venter, Acting CEO of the GTA.
As Youth Month honours the legacy of the class of 1976 and South Africa approaches the 50th anniversary of the 16 June Uprising, the GTA is calling on communities, business and stakeholders across tourism and safety to back initiatives that empower young people while making Gauteng safer and more welcoming for all. The GTA says visible, trained and community-oriented wardens will remain an important part of building a safer, more confident and more competitive visitor economy in Gauteng.
Enquiries: Barba Gaoganediwe, Spokesperson Gauteng Tourism
0834467844
@Barba_G74 on twitter
