In the wake of an illegal military training camp being shut down in White River, the Private Security industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) has emphasised its oversight role, noting that it has carried out hundreds of thousands of inspections and shut down over 4 000 private security companies.
PSiRA CEO Manabela Chauke last week noted that the Authority continues “to work tirelessly to enforce compliance, conduct rigorous inspections, and take decisive actions against any entities found in violation of our regulations.”
Chauke further added that “[PSiRA] will continue to enhance our regulatory frameworks, increasing surveillance, and maintain close collaboration with other law enforcement agencies to prevent unlawful activities from taking root in our communities.”
In PSiRA’s previous five-year medium-term activities, the authority was able to conduct over 220 000 inspections, resulting in 14 300 cases being referred to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for various contraventions. Through these “rigorous regulatory interventions”, over 4 200 individuals were arrested and over 3 400 criminal cases were finalised.
Over 8 700 cases were prosecuted, which resulted in the withdrawal of over 4 400 company registrations and R100 million in fines imposed against those found guilty of violations.
PSiRA is tasked with the regulation of the private security sector in SA. On Wednesday 7 August, the regulator announced it had suspended the registration of Militas Dei Security Services – the security training company behind the illegal Libyan military camp in Mpumalanga that saw 95 Libyan nationals arrested last month.
Chauke advised that criminal cases were to be opened against the owners of the South African company behind the illegal Libyan military camp.
According to PSiRA, it has over 16 000 registered private security service providers under it, with about 10% of those being security training providers. Chauke said PSiRA strives to conduct annual inspections of the companies, based on budget availability, risk analysis and capacity requirements.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to enforce compliance, conduct rigorous inspections, and take decisive actions against any entities found in violation of our regulations. We will continue to enhance our regulatory frameworks, increase surveillance, and maintain close collaboration with other law enforcement agencies to prevent unlawful activities from taking root in our communities,” he said.
