Business advocacy organisation Sakeliga has called for the complete withdrawal of the Draft Amendments to the Private Security Industry Regulations, published in the Government Gazette on 28 March 2025.
According to a statement issued by Sakeliga, the proposed changes are neither in the public interest nor in the interest of private security operators, and risk undermining both public safety and economic stability.
The draft amendments were introduced by Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, following consultations with the Council of the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA). However, Sakeliga argues that the proposals impose excessive constraints on the private security industry, contradicting PSIRA’s own mandate to promote effective and professional security services.
Among the key concerns highlighted by Sakeliga is a provision that would prohibit the issuance of firearms even when a security firm or officer is only under investigation for an alleged offence, rather than convicted. Other contentious proposals include restricting private security officers from carrying firearms in public places such as schools, shopping centres, taxi ranks, hospitals, and stadiums unless stringent conditions are met.
Sakeliga warns that such measures could leave security officers unable to protect themselves, their clients, and members of the public against violent crime. Additional criticisms focus on the reclassification of handcuffs as weapons, restrictions on the use of non-lethal defensive tools such as tasers and rubber bullets, and severe limitations on the operational use of semi-automatic rifles.
The draft regulations would also require every security business to install a tracking device in each firearm, using only PSIRA-approved providers. Questions have been raised about the technological feasibility and the significant cost burden this would place on operators. Furthermore, security companies would have to shoulder the financial costs of additional annual medical, psychological, and psychiatric evaluations for employees.
Sakeliga contends that these measures, taken together, would impose a financially crippling burden on security companies while simultaneously diminishing their effectiveness.
While PSIRA, in a press release dated 11 April 2025, defended the amendments as necessary for strengthening compliance and oversight, Sakeliga maintains that the proposals are disproportionate and could seriously undermine security provision across the country.
The organisation argues that the private security sector plays a vital role in maintaining safety in both public and private spaces, and that excessive regulation threatens not only the sector’s viability but also broader social and economic wellbeing.
Sakeliga has submitted comprehensive written objections to the draft amendments and has urged the government to reconsider the proposals in their entirety. The organisation emphasised the need for regulatory measures that are both proportionate and reasonable, crafted with a practical understanding of the realities faced by security providers in South Africa.
You can read Sakeliga’s full submission to the office of the Director of Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority on this matter here.
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