Department to fund security co-ops to guard its buildings
THE Eastern Cape department of public works, which currently forks out R120-million a year on private security companies, will start training the first group of security officers on December 1.
Earlier, the department announced that they would create co-operatives that would train 4 000 security guards to secure government buildings.
The first group of 750 officers, who start training tomorrow, will now become government employees and will receive basic benefits such as a pension, medical aid and the opportunity to study further, among other benefits.
Public works spokesman Mpumzi Zuzile said R40-million had been set aside to train 4 000 security personnel over three years.
“The utilisation and dependency of the province on the private security industry to safeguard its assets and personnel comes with major challenges, such as non-payment of security guards that results in strikes and protest actions by security guards leaving the facilities unguarded and vulnerable.
“We also deal with reports of exploitation, abuse and ill-treatment of security guards by security bosses or company owners who are only interested in making huge profits and enriching themselves.”
Zuzile said South Africa had the largest private security industry in the world, with nearly 9 411 businesses registered as security service providers (with an average 15% increase year-on-year); of which 779 are in the Eastern Cape.
There are approximately 490 000 registered private security guards, ofwhich 52 000 are in the Eastern Cape.
Zuzile said the project would focus on specific groupings of people, including military veterans, youths and unemployed graduates, who would form their own security cooperatives that would then offer services to the provincial public works.
“We have selected from various regions from the province – 42 are from Alfred Nzo, mostly in Ntabankulu. The region with the most numbers is Chris Hani region , with 243, and Amathole, with over 123,” said Zuzile.
Beneficiary Mziwoxolo Vaaiboom , 40, who was retrenched in 2004 and had not been able to find a job since, had given up hope.
“I know definitely this will change my life and will restore my dignity,” said Vaaiboom. —