Stricter firearm regulations could jeopardise jobs in South Africa's security industry.
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National Assembly chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police and Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Ian Cameron has raised concerns on the proposed stringent Private Security Industry Regulations (PSIRA) amendments.
Among the amendments is that a security business may only issue a firearm if such issuing does not include security officers doing duty in public spaces such as a taxi rank, cemetery, shopping mall, school, stadium or any public establishments.
Additionally, it specifies that a security officer is only given a 'reasonable" amount of ammunition to carry out the required security duty, without specifying what 'reasonable' constitutes.
"It is concerning that the very organisation (PSIRA) that has quite recently received a qualified audit and continues to see material audit findings by the Auditor General of South Africa, would be allowed to conduct such overreach of power in such a critical industry.
"We believe that these rules will jeopardise the safety of the very communities they are meant to protect, as well as the livelihoods of over 500,000 South Africans who work in the private security industry," said Cameron.
He urged South Africans to submit objections to PSIRA by Friday, April 25.
"It will undermine this crucial sector by restricting security firms' access to tools like tasers and weapons, leaving them underarmed compared to criminal gangs," he continued. "It will hinder responses to emergencies, putting vulnerable individuals at greater risk. It will destabilise the sector, encourage unregulated services, and ultimately make communities more vulnerable to crime."
The SA Gun Owners Association's Gideon Joubert said that the amendments will have a different outcome than the one the government wants.
"If these amendments aim to tighten control over the private security industry to root out rogue and criminal players, they are taking the wrong path. Most would agree that purging harmful entities is a vital task for the regulatory authority, but this can be achieved by enforcing existing laws, not piling on new burdens. Criminal groups thrive by exploiting corruption and inefficiency in state bodies like SAPS and PSIRA, operating as sham security firms," said Joubert.
He added that the sensible solution is to investigate, prosecute, and convict these corrupt actors, not to burden a key business with costly, crippling regulations that punish good participants and limit their capacity to serve the public and the state.
"By pushing these changes, the regulator risks harming the very industry it is meant to protect, along with its clients, employees, and the broader economy. If enacted, they will leave us with a less safe, less secure society."
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