Nothing to fear about this fashion
● Who says you can’t be stylish while avoiding gunfire?
Previously the domain of bodyguards, riot police and soldiers, bulletproof vests are increasingly being used by people in the private sector, with new designs in the form of fashionable sleeveless puffer jackets.
North West farmer Rudolf Pretorius, who runs a game farm 20km outside Potchefstroom, wears his bulletproof jacket on his farm.
“I feel unsafe. I’ve been attacked in my own house,” he said.
Luigi and Giulio Airaga’s scrap-metal business in Kempton Park on the east rand handles large amounts of cash on site and they often work with “dubious characters”.
“Some of our clients need quick cash, they are desperate. Desperate people do desperate things,” said Giulio. “This jacket looks like normal clothing so I wear it outside work.”
The vest is designed by Durban businessman Jochen Chislett, who said an increasing number of civilians were opting for protective clothing. The vests sell for between R2,500 and R3,700.
Deon du Plessis, who runs a bulletproofing technology company in Krugersdorp, agreed the civilian market was growing. “At least 20% of what we test is for private security and civilians,” he said.
“This is a growing market — but a lot of civilians are actually looking for armoured cars. There are more than 10 armoured cars sold a month, mostly to people in Johannesburg and Midrand. It’s extremely expensive, about R1m a vehicle.”
The rampant political killings in KwaZulu-Natal convinced Durban ward councillor Pete Graham to wear body armour. “The vest doesn’t just stop bullets. The tools available in the township are bricks, knobkerries and spears. Things can get volatile,” he said.
There is a word of caution, though. Chandré Gould of the Institute for Security Studies said that “increasing the level of security increases the chance that lethal force will be used. What it also does is increase our level of fear. We know South Africans are scared, but this is not the solution. The social problems that cause crime need to be solved instead.”