VIP guard lifts lid on alleged criminal practices inside private security industry

A private VIP security guard has told The Citizen that parts of South Africa’s private security sector are being used for criminal activity, including access to firearms and intimidation of businesses. The guard, identified in the report as a 48‑year‑old based in KwaZulu‑Natal who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, described practices he said have become common inside some companies.

Claims from an insider

According to The Citizen, the guard said that guards are routinely handed firearms they are not legally competent to use and that, in some cases, those guards are deployed to stage burglaries and robberies. The report also states that some security personnel were used to intimidate businesses and individuals who refused to pay protection fees.

The guard told The Citizen that guards were sometimes presented as debt collectors to provide cover for harassment and intimidation. He said access to firearms and trained personnel has become a major incentive for criminals seeking to establish front security companies.

Front companies, firearms and alleged organised‑crime links

The Citizen reports allegations that some criminals establish front companies to obtain and stockpile firearms, including high‑calibre rifles and automatic weapons, and to use armed guards to enforce business interests and allegedly participate in extortion and turf wars.

On the demand side, the guard described a lucrative market for VIP protection services in KwaZulu‑Natal, saying taxi owners, businesspeople and celebrities sought armed close protection after receiving threats. He told The Citizen that “Many security companies, especially in KwaZulu‑Natal, solely survive by providing close protection.”

Calls for stronger oversight

Civic organisation Forum For South Africa (Fosa) expressed concern, according to The Citizen, that legitimate security structures could be infiltrated or exploited by organised‑crime networks. The organisation’s leader, Tebogo Mashilompane, urged stricter vetting and controls.

“We cannot allow private security to become a back door into critical infrastructure and institutions,” Mashilompane said, according to The Citizen.

The Citizen quoted Mashilompane calling for strengthened vetting, inspections, firearm controls, ownership checks, financial scrutiny and intelligence‑led monitoring of security companies and personnel. He also urged closer cooperation between the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira), the South African Police Service and other law‑enforcement bodies to identify and dismantle criminal networks attempting to penetrate the industry.

Protecting legitimate providers

According to The Citizen, Mashilompane emphasised that the measures were not intended to target honest security companies or the many officers who protect South Africans, but to prevent criminal infiltration from becoming institutionalised.

These claims and calls for action were reported by The Citizen on 4 September 2026.