By DESTINE NDE
It’s no longer shocking when someone talks about the sky-high unemployment rates in Africa. Some 50-odd years after the granting of independence to African states, unemployment has become the new normal. Only someone who had been in coma since that time would be shocked at the present state of affairs. To make matters worse, it is mostly the youths, those who are still in their prime and as such should constitute the largest percentage of any country’s workforce, who are unemployed.
Indeed, in his book Architects of Poverty, the notable south African analyst Moeletsi Mbeki writes that ‘Africa has dropped so far down the development scale that experts refer to Africans as mankind’s Bottom Billion, who can only come out of the black hole they have dug for themselves through intervention by the rest of the world’.
Given this dismaying situation, the great majority of Africans are turning to anything that will enable them to ‘put bread on their tables, clothes on their children backs, and a roof over their heads’. Very few Africans now have the privilege to pursue their passions — i.e., to do what they love and enjoy doing, irrespective of its financial and/or social benefits. To do such a thing in Africa nowadays is considered an expensive luxury, a huge risk, disapproved of by many (especially parents and spouses) as totally unpractical.
By contrast, almost all the famous inventors and creators of immense wealth are people who pursued their passions. That is why they constitute the top 1 per cent of the human race: infinitesimal in number but astronomical in power. Because, over the years, they had literally been swimming against the tide of conventionality, against what all societies regard as common sense and practical wisdom.
In South Africa, one such life-saver, or economic refuge, is the security industry. There are many reasons why thousands of people are flocking to it, but three of them stand out.
Firstly, unemployment and crime have always gone hand in hand. They are related to one another proportionately, and in fact are mutually reinforcing. Thus, with the rapid growth in crime, the need for private and/or public security is also urgent and rising. It is as simple as this: unemployment produces crime; crime creates the need for security. As unemployment rises, crime increases, and with the increase of crime comes the great and urgent need for security officers.
Scott-Lee Diedericks outside USave. All images: the author.
Secondly, to become a qualified security officer is not that daunting. Both the prerequisites and the training are relatively easy. A Grade 10 and a three-week training course is all that is needed. I asked Scott-Lee Diedericks, who passed his matric last year and is now working as a security guard in Usave, why he chose the job. He answered:
‘It’s just a stepping stone. I need the job for now. It’s the easiest means to get me to what I actually want to do in life.’
And, thirdly, the job itself is neither laborious nor challenging, both mentally and physically, and the pay is also not bad at all. This is besides various other benefits which security guards are entitled to under law.
Nkosiphendule Mbuko at the entrance to the Willowmore Hospital.
Nkosiphendule Mbuko, a security guard at Willowmore Hospital, confirmed this. ‘I’ve no problem with this job’, he declared. ‘I’m happy with the money I’m getting, because I don’t really have to do much. In fact, I’m comfortable here’, he added cheerfully.
What sparked my interest in this sector was some disconcerting news I received in Oudtshoorn. On Friday 31 January I had gone there with the intention to ride an ostrich. I needed more information on how to go about this adventure, and, as is often the case when in a different town, police and security officers are always the most trusted.
So I thought of my friend Siya, who is a security guard at the Home Affairs building, and decided to go to him for directions. When I got there, he was absent. But his girlfriend, Zimi, who is also a security guard, was there. After greeting each other, I asked her where Siya was, and how he was doing.
‘He’s at home,’ she told me sadly. ‘Nowadays the men work only nightshifts, and the women dayshifts. But he’s not fine at all.’
Oh really!’ i exclaimed, interested and concerned. ‘But why?’
‘Last night, gangsters came in and robbed them of their phones.’
‘Oh my God!’ I exclaimed again.
‘This is not even the first time. It has happened twice just this month,’ she added.
She also gave me all the information I needed about the ostrich ride. Seeing the time and money it would cost for me to go to an ostrich farm were far more than I had budgeted for, I decided to postpone it for another time. So I started walking back toward town, with my mind completely taken over by Siya’s predicament.
I had always believed that police and security officers are trained and equipped to repel criminals and prevent crime. Normally, law-breakers are supposed to be afraid of law enforcement officers, and hence would commit their crimes only were the latter are absent. But to see the opposite now happening spuriously, and in so easy a manner, is an exceedingly curious matter.
I had scarcely walked for 15 minutes when I came across a security company, MSEC Security, on Langenhoven Street. Knowing fully well that once a curiosity is born in the mind, it will continue to grow, and might even grow into a monsterv if it is not attended to, I went to the gate and rang the bell. Unfortunately for me, the Boss—who according to those present was the only one who could answer my questions — was not there.
Jason Williams, former owner of Mpondo Security.
Back in Willowmore, however, I soon crossed paths with Jason Williams, popularly known as Buddy. Buddy was the founder and director of Mpondo Security, who operated from 2018 to 2023. Its head offices were in George, but they had clients everywhere in the region. I asked for an interview, and he made himself available on Tuesday 11 February 2024, at noon.
I asked him what it takes for someone to qualify as a security guard. ‘If you did Grade 10, then you qualify to take the three-week training course. That’s basically all.’
‘Who gives the training, and where?’ — ‘Any Institution that’s qualified, for example Nluntu Training Academy in Port Elizabeth.’
He went on to explain that there were three courses, one each week. The first covers hygiene, discipline and work ethics. The second covers the powers of the officer to arrest, laws regarding arrests, report-writing skills, searching persons and cars, access control, patrolling, and what to look out for when on duty.
The third covers investigation procedures, disciplinary inquiries and code of conduct.
A certificate is awarded after the completion of each week. These certificates, plus a police clearance, are then submitted to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA), a statutory body responsible for issuing certificates to qualified officers. This process usually takes about three weeks.
‘Is there no physical test or training? How are these officers supposed to defend themselves when necessary? What weapons are they armed with?’ — ‘No fitness of any kind is required. The principle is that of minimum force. So they’re armed only with batons, handcuffs, pepper sprays, stunt guns, and, most importantly, a panic button linked to SAPS or armed security services.’
‘So what does a routine shift for a security guard entail?’ — ‘You clock in, or book yourself on-duty in an Occurrence Book. Then your colleagues who were working the previous shift will hand over the present shift to you, which basically involves weapons and debriefings, which must all be recorded in the Incidence or Occurrence Book. Then you patrol the site and do inspections for any irregularities. Certain key points have a click button, where the data gets downloaded to check if the areas were inspected daily.
At least one partner must always be at the access control point, to record every visitor and vehicle that enters or exits the premises. Sometimes, when necessary, the visitors and vehicles must be searched; while the other partner(s) is patrolling the premises. In case of any unusual incident, a report must be written and handed to the supervisor, who then takes it to the client.’
‘In your experience, what are the commonest incidents?’ — ‘Armed robberies, followed by burglaries. Guards are always prime targets.’
‘So in such dangerous situations, what is a guard supposed to do to defend himself or to put the malefactors to flight?’ — ‘If they are alert all the time, this would not happen. Because they are trained to pick out suspicious activities before a crime is committed.’
‘Like what?’ — ‘Cars without number plates. Cars parking in places where they can easily drive off. Cars with dark windows. People who hang around observing, but trying to hide their identities or faces with caps and sunglasses. People wearing big clothes to conceal weapons. People poking around, asking suspicious questions or trying too hard to be friendly. Look for things which seem insignificant but abnormal, like sudden marks on fences, walls, and windows. Make sure lighting and CCTV cameras are always ok. And always be visible.’
‘Over the years you had some 300 employees. With your experience and expertise, would you recommend friends and relatives to pursue a career in this industry?’ — ‘Obviously it’s a dangerous job. But you’re prepared for it during your training. It’s just a simpler version of the law enforcement training.
‘Personally I got into it straight from school, and worked my way up. And the salary isn’t that bad. It ranges from R5,300 to R10,000. There are allowances for nightshifts, public holidays and Sundays. There’s also a mandatory provident fund for medical aid and pension.
Moreover, every security company must register with COIDA, a body linked to the Department of Labour. Its mission is to ensure that, should a guard be assaulted on duty, he or she will continue to get paid even while in hospital. And in the case of death, the family of the deceased will be compensated generously. The job is without a doubt in very high and rising demand.’
‘Thank you very much for your time’, I said; my curiosity had been satisfied. Risk-taking is an integral part of life, and an indispensible ingredient for growth and development.
FEATURED IMAGE: MSEC Security in Oudtshoorn.