South Africa’s Private Security Industry Facing Regulatory Storm

At Securex 2025, Tony Botes, National Administrator of the South African Security Association (SASA), delivered a stark and impassioned assessment of the state of the private security industry in South Africa. His presentation was as much a call to arms as it was a warning about the mounting challenges faced by a sector increasingly burdened by regulatory pressure and government neglect.

Industry Overview and Growth

Botes began by detailing the substantial growth of the private security sector since 2001. Despite the absence of direct government funding, the industry has expanded to support state law enforcement, effectively plugging the gap left by a chronically under-resourced South African Police Service (SAPS). This growth, however, comes at a steep cost, both financial and human, for the companies and officers involved.

Regulatory Clampdown

The most contentious part of Botes’ presentation centred on proposed amendments from the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA). Without prior consultation, PSIRA has published regulations that significantly restrict the operational capabilities of private security firms. These include:

Limitations or outright bans on the use of semi-automatic firearms,
Prohibitions on non-lethal weapons such as water cannons, rubber bullets, and even handcuffs and batons.

These moves, Botes argued, are not only impractical but also duplicative, given that similar restrictions already exist under Section 21 of the Firearms Control Act.

Botes also questioned PSIRA’s ability to enforce these rules, citing its already overstretched inspectorate and failure to address the proliferation of unregistered security providers.

Legal Battles on the Horizon

SASA and various industry stakeholders are preparing to oppose these regulations through the courts. Botes made it clear that the fight will go all the way to the Constitutional Court if necessary.

He also criticised recent moves by the Department of Trade and Industry to ban the importation of blank firearms, calling the rationale “ludicrous”, and noting that the draft legislation does not yet ban possession, but likely will.

Employment Equity Targets and Data Control

Further concerns were raised about the Department of Labour’s new Employment Equity targets, which Botes described as “unconstitutional, unrealistic and unattainable”. Legal challenges from both employers and civic bodies are expected.

Lastly, he highlighted a newly published gazette by the City of Johannesburg, claiming ownership of all CCTV footage from public roads, including footage captured by privately funded and maintained cameras. Botes criticised the lack of consultation and questioned whether this move amounts to “expropriation without compensation”.

Botes closed by reiterating the private security industry’s vital role in national safety and civic stability, and by stressing the need for continued legal vigilance and unity within the industry.

His message was clear: the sector stands at a crossroads, facing a wave of impractical and overreaching legislation that threatens its ability to function. But it is also prepared to fight, legally, publicly, and collectively, for its survival and continued contribution to national security.