POLICING FOR PROFIT: The future of South Africa's Private Security Industry

This research paper examines the growth, structure, and regulation of the private security industry in South Africa as of 1999. It analyzes the industry's shift toward performing functions traditionally reserved for the police, the resulting tensions regarding accountability and human rights, and the industry's expansion into other African nations.

• The South African private security industry has experienced rapid growth, with an average annual expansion rate of 30% since 1970. By 1999, the industry employed over 200,000 security guards, with the guarding sector being the largest at 125,000 guards across approximately 3,200 companies.
• The financial scale of the private security industry in South Africa is significant, with an estimated annual turnover exceeding R10 billion. This amount is nearly comparable to the South African Police Service's (SAPS) annual budget of R15.3 billion for the 1999/2000 budget year.
• There is a stark difference in the objectives and accountability of private security versus public policing. While the police aim to protect the general public and are accountable to the government and electorate, private security is driven by profit and is accountable only to its clients.
• The South African industry is characterized by a history of state collaboration. In the 1970s and 1980s, the former South African Police (SAP) encouraged the private sector to fill gaps created when the SAP shifted focus toward maintaining political control.
• The industry faces significant professional and ethical challenges, including inadequate training standards. A commission of inquiry into a July 1996 incident at Tembisa train station found that 'D grade' guards lacked the training to foresee or avert the injury and death of commuters.
• Private security operations often place an undue burden on public police resources. A senior SAPS member stated that 99.5% of alarms installed by the private security industry that the police respond to are false.
• There are allegations that elements of the private security industry have been involved in 'third force' activities and political destabilization. Deputy President Thabo Mbeki expressed this belief in July 1997.
• South African security firms have expanded into other African countries, providing services such as VIP protection, risk consultancy, and guarding of mines. Some firms, such as Coin Security, operate in at least six African countries.
• There are reports of South African security companies recruiting former South African Defence Force (SADF) members to participate in the Angolan civil war, sometimes supporting opposing sides.
• The regulatory framework in South Africa, governed by the Security Officers Act of 1987 and subsequent amendments, has been criticized for lacking independence because the Security Officers’ Board was largely composed of and funded by industry representatives.

APA

Irish, J. (1999). POLICING FOR PROFIT: The future of South Africa's Private Security Industry. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono39.pdf

Chicago

Irish, Jenny. POLICING FOR PROFIT: The future of South Africa's Private Security Industry. Institute for Security Studies, 1999. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono39.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Irish |first1=Jenny |title=POLICING FOR PROFIT: The future of South Africa's Private Security Industry |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=August 1999 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono39.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{irish1999policing, author = {Irish, Jenny}, title = {{POLICING FOR PROFIT: The future of South Africa's Private Security Industry}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1999}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono39.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }