The security industry in South Africa is facing huge challenges when it comes to legislation‚ inconsistent practice with training and non-compliance with industry standards.
Tony Botes‚ the secretary and administrator of the Security Association of South Africa (SASA)‚ made the assessment at the Securex conference in Midrand on Thursday.
He said that training of security staff along with non-compliance were two major issues that are hampering the industry in the country.
Botes said there were thousands of security training centres that were providing certificates to individuals seeking to enter the industry without training them.
Currently‚ there are about 500‚000 security officers in South Africa employed by 9‚000 companies‚ Botes said.
Many of those companies were non-compliant with the security industries standards‚ by Botes’s estimate more than 80%.
He said that this issue stretched from employing unregistered undocumented workers in the security industry to not complying with the industry provident fund.
“Untrained‚ unscreened security officers have little or no value‚” Botes said.
Botes said that the impact of non-compliance resulted in security guards seeking side jobs or turning a blind eye to crime or even getting involved in criminal activity themselves in order to earn a living.
Less than 20% of employers are participating in the industry provident fund‚ Botes said‚ claiming there were many cases where companies were deducting the provident fund from workers salaries but not paying it over to the fund.
Botes said that SASA was working with the National Prosecuting Authority in order to ensure that those companies were dealt with.
He added that another major issue‚ that could force a large number foreign-owned companies to leave the country‚ was the Private Security Industry Amendment Bill if it was signed into law. The bill‚ which is awaiting the president’s signature‚ will require all foreign owned security companies to dispose of at least 51% of their companies to locally owned partners.
Botes said that foreign-owned companies do not want to do that‚ as they want to control their brands and their companies.
“I believe if the bill is promulgated‚ it will be challenged‚ and probably go as far as the Constitutional Court‚ and impact on foreign trade agreements.”
Botes said that it would not only be the security companies like ADT‚ Chubb‚ Securitas and G4S who all have foreign ownership‚ but also security technology companies.
Botes asked if South Africa could afford to lose state of the art products‚ saying that it might result in South Africa having to make due with less high-end security technology.
“Foreign companies‚ a couple have said to me‚ ‘South Africa is 0.5% of our global footprint. If we can’t own our own business‚ we will pull out and go elsewhere’‚” Botes said.
Dodgy employment practise in security industry highlighted
The security industry in South Africa is facing huge challenges when it comes to legislation‚ inconsistent practice with training and non-compliance with industry standards.
Tony Botes‚ the secretary and administrator of the Security Association of South Africa (SASA)‚ made the assessment at the Securex conference in Midrand on Thursday.
He said that training of security staff along with non-compliance were two major issues that are hampering the industry in the country.
Botes said there were thousands of security training centres that were providing certificates to individuals seeking to enter the industry without training them.
Currently‚ there are about 500‚000 security officers in South Africa employed by 9‚000 companies‚ Botes said.
Many of those companies were non-compliant with the security industries standards‚ by Botes’s estimate more than 80%.
He said that this issue stretched from employing unregistered undocumented workers in the security industry to not complying with the industry provident fund.
“Untrained‚ unscreened security officers have little or no value‚” Botes said.
Botes said that the impact of non-compliance resulted in security guards seeking side jobs or turning a blind eye to crime or even getting involved in criminal activity themselves in order to earn a living.
Less than 20% of employers are participating in the industry provident fund‚ Botes said‚ claiming there were many cases where companies were deducting the provident fund from workers salaries but not paying it over to the fund.
Botes said that SASA was working with the National Prosecuting Authority in order to ensure that those companies were dealt with.
He added that another major issue‚ that could force a large number foreign-owned companies to leave the country‚ was the Private Security Industry Amendment Bill if it was signed into law. The bill‚ which is awaiting the president’s signature‚ will require all foreign owned security companies to dispose of at least 51% of their companies to locally owned partners.
Botes said that foreign-owned companies do not want to do that‚ as they want to control their brands and their companies.
“I believe if the bill is promulgated‚ it will be challenged‚ and probably go as far as the Constitutional Court‚ and impact on foreign trade agreements.”
Botes said that it would not only be the security companies like ADT‚ Chubb‚ Securitas and G4S who all have foreign ownership‚ but also security technology companies.
Botes asked if South Africa could afford to lose state of the art products‚ saying that it might result in South Africa having to make due with less high-end security technology.
“Foreign companies‚ a couple have said to me‚ ‘South Africa is 0.5% of our global footprint. If we can’t own our own business‚ we will pull out and go elsewhere’‚” Botes said.
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