This archive report was first published on 10 December 2019.
On December 10, 2019, the National Assembly annulled the 2019 Private Security (General) Regulations, a move that has sparked concerns about the regulation of the private security industry.
The regulations, which were meant to give effect to the provisions of the 2016 Private Security Regulation Act, were annulled on the recommendations of the House Committee on Delegated Legislation.
However, the action seems to have missed the counter position advanced by the regulation-making authority, which included the willingness to negotiate the compliance period with stakeholders.
Enactment of the 2016 Private Security Regulation Act was largely informed by concerns raised against some players who remain averse to upholding professionalism in the industry.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki once observed that “the security industry cannot be handled simply as an affair of the private sector”.
A responsible state should be concerned with the operations of private security, and it is regrettable that more than three years after the enactment of the enabling Act, the status quo in the industry remains.
Needless to say, national security stability is likely to be undermined by poorly administered and unprofessional private security providers.
It remains the responsibility of the State to formulate an elaborate and comprehensive framework for regulation with explicit and enforceable sanctions, and to provide requisite legitimacy and entrench respectability, professionalism and accountability in the industry.
