There are over 3, 000 security companies in Botswana; and the reality is that the private security guard industry is inundated with challenges. Adversities range from poor working conditions, unfair dismissals, late payments and low wages. Although the security guard industry is very crucial in assisting government, the private sector and the public by providing supplementary protection, private security personnel continue to toil under heart wrenching working conditions. To dwell deeper into these issues, The Telegraph conducted an exclusive interview last week with Mpaphi Magezi, Chairman of the Security Officers Association of Botswana (SOAB). He is of the view that the bill came at the right time as security guards are working under miserable and conditions.
“Finally government took heed of the concerns of the security industry sector by passing this bill, as it will help regulate the security industry which has been haunted by many issues and we are very grateful for that. The bill also spells a code of conduct for both security guards and security providers, who are the employers. The bill will not only address the welfare of security guards but also restore the reputation of the security industry,” he said with a sigh of relief.
SOAB was established in March 2015 and its main objective is to create a platform for security guards where they can be able to voice their grievances regarding their profession. The other main objective of this organization is to maintain, protect and promote the interest and status of security guards. Magezi appreciated the fact that unlike in the past, SOAB has finally been roped as part of the Board of the Security Industry Licensing Authority. He said in the past the Ministry of Defense, Justice and Security was the sole licensing body which led to security guards not having their voices heard.
“The new bill has many clauses which support the security profession and we are very grateful to the Ministry. The other most important thing is that we have a cordial working relationship with government and we have been given a slot in the licensing board to also represent the welfare of the security guards. We also have a good working relationship with the BOCCIM Security Sector which represents most of the employers or security companies. This bill will create a win-win situation for all stakeholders,” he said.
Magezi added that the bill is also very crucial as it compels private security providers to train their employees, empower them with the necessary resources and provide their employees with good working conditions. He said for years there was no law which forced security companies to train their workforce or get accredited training.
“The security industry is very sensitive hence the need to fully train the workforce and equip it with necessary skills to fully protect and serve the nation. If the security guards are not well trained, they will ultimately offer a shoddy service to clients and probably endanger their lives and those of the people they are serving. Professional training of security guards can help maintain consistency in the profession,” he added.
Touching on the formation and importance of SOAB, Magezi who is the brains behind the formation of the organization said that although SOAB was established this year to try and help bargain for security guards, they like many other organizations are faced with a number of challenges. Some of the main challenges are that security guards are showing less or no interest in joining the organization.
“We are currently working tooth and nail to make sure that we lure more members into our organization, but unfortunately most security guards seem to be not interested. One other problem we have is that we are thin on the ground in terms of resources because we are not a profit making organizations. We however believe that Rome was not build in one day therefore we will continue to work hard to ensure that our organization fully achieves its mandate,” said a clearly confident Magezi.
He added that they are currently mobilizing more members to join the organization. Another problem that the security sector union is facing is that some the security providers (employers) are feeling uneasy to let their employees unionize or join the association.
“Some of the employers are of the view that we are trying to cause trouble in their organizations and making their employees stubborn by making them join the organization. Our prime objective is to advocate for better working conditions for security guards and help professionalize the industry. It will ultimately create a win-win situation for all parties including the employers,” Magezi emphasized.
On why they decided to form SOAB, he said that they just did not want to sit and not partake in helping the country achieve the 2016 vision of a Safe and Secure Nation and an educated and informed nation. He said professionalizing the security guard profession would help impart the necessary skills on citizens and also help promote education in the country.
“The security guard profession plays a very important role in the security of people and can ultimately help Botswana achieve her vision. This is the first security guards association to be established in the country and it is still at infancy stage. We are hopeful and optimistic that once it takes shape, we will be able to achieve our mandate. We are looking at raising funds through subscriptions from members, sponsorships and even holding fundraising events,” he said.
Magezi added that they will soon be working with various labor unions in the country to benchmark on how they are handling labor issues. Among other important issues, he said that there are a lot of untapped opportunities in the security guards industry more so that the newly introduced bill compels employers to train their guards in accredited institutions.
“Now that there is a bill to regulate the security guards industry, there are a lot of opportunities for the benefit of Batswana. Among others there is going to be a market for training institutions and security trainers, the youths can open security companies and there will be a market for security consultants. There will also be opportunities for other fields in the profession such as security technicians and administrators. The list is endless,” he said.
However, several efforts to contact the Chairperson of the BOCCIM Security Sector, Gaolathe Mudongo were futile as his phone could not be answered until the time of going for press.
For his part, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice Defense and Security, Augustine Makgonatsotlhe told The Telegraph in an interview that the bill will soon be implemented as everything is complete. He further said the bill will help government regulate the private security industry and purge problems that are currently haunting the industry.
“The bill is in the process of being implemented and it will help us deal with the challenges that are be-devilling the private security industry. The other good thing is that we have a good working relationship with the private security industry,” he said.