www.securityfocusafrica.com | Vol 39 No 8 AUGUST 2021 The official industry journal for professional risk practitioners: security, safety, health, environment and quality assurance
Skills development – A key defence against digital disruption
Alarm Technology Latest in
CIVIL UNREST
SA’s under-resourced police force
Celebrating Women’s Month
Movers and shakers
Covid, conspiracies & common sense
Update from SASA | Insurrection and the need for zero tolerance
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securityfocusafrica.com Security Focus Africa has been marketing suppliers to buyers in Africa since 1980, and is the official industry journal of the Security Association of South Africa. Our readers form the core of Southern Africa’s buyers and decision-makers in the security products and services industry. Our digital platforms have a highly-focused readership of people at the very heart of the security industry. Our news is distributed via website, digital magazine, and social media. Our annual Security Focus Africa Buyers Guide is searchable in our online directory, with over 760 businesses and branches throughout Africa. Need to find a service or supplier? We will help you find exactly what you need.
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CONTENTS www.securityfocusafrica.com The official industry journal for
VOL 39 NO 8 AUGUST 2021
| Vol 39 No 8 AUGUST 2021
professional risk practitioners:
nt and quality assurance
security, safety, health, environme
Skills development – A key defence against digital disruption
Alarm Technology Latest in
16
CIV IL UN RE ST
SA’s under-resourced police force
Celebrating Women’s Month
Movers and shakers
Update from SASA | Insurrecti
Covid, conspiracies & common sense
COVER STORY INDUSTRY OPINION 16 Ongoing skills development is a key defence against digital disruption.
on and the need for zero tolerance
19 2
SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA AUGUST 2021
securityfocusafrica.com
Official Journal of the Security Association of South Africa
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Published by Contact Publications (Pty) Ltd (Reg No. 1981/011920/07)
Vol 39 No 8
TEL: (031) 764 6977 FAX: 086 762 1867 MANAGING DIRECTOR: Malcolm King malcolm@contactpub.co.za
EDITOR: Ingrid Olivier ingrid@securityfocusafrica.com
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Vincent Goode vincent@contactpub.co.za
REGULARS EDITOR’S COMMENT 4 Of SA’s women, conspiracy
theories and common sense.
ASSOCIATION NEWS 6 Update from SASA. NEWS IN BRIEF 8 News snippets from around the world.
NEWS 11 POPIA compels companies to turn to multi-factor authentication to secure valuable customer data.
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER:
INDUSTRY OPINION 20 Future of Work: Unscrambling the hybrid working puzzle.
COVID-19 UPDATE 22 Covid-19 herd immunity?
It’s not going to happen, so what next?
PERSONALITY PROFILE 24 The women in South Africa’s private security industry.
CYBER SECURITY 28 What you need to know, a guide to cybersecurity.
ALARMS 12 Alarm technology: key to safety
NEWS 29 Bill to amend the Constitution
OPINION PIECE 15 The right infrastructure is
INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES 30 More public order police is no
in today’s covid-19 and violent crime-ravaged environment.
essential to leveraging the benefits of BaaS.
BUSINESS NEWS 17 MySky Networks empowers
Respublica student network. 18 International trade body warns over counterfeit cannabis growth.
NEWS 19 Cele clarifies jump in Quarterly Crime Stats.
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approved.
easy answer for SA.
31 CONTRIBUTORS AND ADVERTISERS INDEX
Jackie Goosen jackie@contactpub.co.za
POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 414, Kloof 3640, South Africa
PUBLICATION DETAILS: Security Focus Africa has 12 issues a year and is published monthly, with the annual Buyers’ Guide in December. Due to the Covid-19 crisis, we will only be publishing digitally, until further notice.
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Editorial contributions are welcome. For details please email editorial@securityfocusafrica.co.za.
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: Malcolm King Email: malcolm@contactpub.co.za
Security Focus Africa is a member of
THE LAST WORD 32 Insurrection cannot be tolerated.
34 DIRECTORY www.securityfocusafrica.com 3
EDITOR’S COMMENT
Of SA’s women, conspiracy theories and common sense “Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” Unknown.
W
omen’s Month 2021 in SA In recognition of Women’s Month 2021 in South Africa, borne out of the 9 August 1956 march on the Union Buildings by more than 20,000 women protesting against pass laws, I decided to feature a double-page personality profile on some of the (many) female movers and shakers in the country’s security industry. Their inspiring stories will hopefully encourage more women to enter the sector, and in so doing, “add their weight to the struggle for freedom, justice and equality”, to quote President Cyril Ramaphosa in his speech on 9 August this year. The theme of this year’s Women’s Month was ‘Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights for an Equal Future’, in support of a global campaign that’s aiming for gender equality by 2030. I was heartened by President Ramaphosa’s progress update on the National Strategic
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Plan, launched last year with the intention of ending gender-based violence and femicide. At the same time, sadly, the killing of women continued throughout the month. Among the victims were Nosicelo Mtebeni, a fourth-year student at the University of Fort Hare, and senior Gauteng Health Manager and whistle blower Babita Deokaran. “Widespread media attention given to the killing of Nosicelo Mtebeni once again drives home the reality that women are murdered daily in South Africa,” said the outraged Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities in a statement1. “Most statistics point to a woman being murdered every three hours. Even during Women’s Month – a month dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women, and women’s contribution to South Africa’s growth – murders like this continue unabated.” In his formal release of the one-year progress report on the implementation of the National Strategic Plan, President
Ramaphosa said that although the launch had coincided with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, measurable progress had been made. This includes the designation of 32 regional courts as sexual offences courts in various parts of the country, specialised training of about 3,500 family violence, child protection and sexual offences investigating officers, and the renovation or repurposing of 12 public buildings for use as shelters. “Work has been done to ensure that all police stations in our country have sexual assault evidence kits,” he added, and, “key legislation around domestic violence, bail and the sentencing of offenders, as well as broadening the scope of sexual offences and other matters is currently before Parliament.” The country’s courts are handing down harsh penalties and sentences to those found guilty of gender-based violence, sexual offence conviction rates are improving, and government will “soon
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EDITOR’S COMMENT
ratify the International Labour Organization’s Convention 190, which addresses sexual harassment and violence in the workplace,” he noted, and further, the first phase of a GBVF Private Sector Response Fund, which was launched earlier this year, has received pledges worth some R141 million to date. Conspiracies and common sense Aside from its hard-hitting impact on health and economies the world over, the Covid-19 pandemic is also dividing people into camps: the pro-vaxers, the anti-vaxers, the not-yet-decided, those in favour of and against lockdowns — and conspiracy theorists, amongst whom are some who think the pandemic is a hoax. According to an article in The Economist2, thousands of people took part in an anti-lockdown protest in Trafalgar Square in London in late July — despite the British government having lifted most of the country’s remaining Covid-19 restrictions at that stage. “Among the speakers were Piers Corbyn (brother of a former Labour Party leader), a climatechange denier who thinks that Covid-19 is a ‘hoax’; David Icke, an author who believes that the world’s most powerful people are secretly lizards; and Gillian McKeith, an advocate of colonic irrigation who argues that a good diet is enough to stop the virus. A former nurse (struck off for spreading misinformation) compared medical staff, who have been distributing vaccines, to Nazis, and suggested they be hanged,” says the article. Words fail me. Spurred on by factors such as the love of a conspiracy theory by some, fear of the unknown by others, or the misinformation proliferating across the globe, protests have become a spinoff of the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of 4,565,483 people, and seen 220,563,227 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) as of 5.02pm CEST, 6 September 20213. In democratic countries, freedom of movement, belief and expression are enshrined in their constitutions — but not at the expense of other rights. Frontiers in Public Health, an organisation which was formed to ‘provide cuttingedge evidence to promote public health policies and practices that improve health on a global scale’ refers to a ‘collision of fundamental rights that’s being faced by decision makers as a result of Covid-19’. “Covid-19 requires governmental measures to protect healthcare system
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access for people,” its authors say, adding: “In this process, the collision of fundamental rights emerges as a crucial challenge for decision-making4.” If ever there was a need for sensible, responsible thinking and decisionmaking, it is now. No one has the right to put other people’s lives at risk, whatever your beliefs may be about the pandemic. The facts are that there is a global pandemic raging, that people are being infected and dying from it every day, and that tried-and-tested behaviours such as social distancing and wearing masks during flu and other contagious disease outbreaks work. “Covid-19 is just the latest in a string of pandemics that spread across the planet in the past century,” according to an article in DARK Daily, a free e-news/ management briefing platform with a focus on clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology group management5. “Since 1900, there have been four major international pandemics, resulting in millions of deaths,” it says. These include the Spanish Flu of 1918 (which infected an estimated one third of the world’s population and claimed around 50 million lives); the Asian Flu of 1957 (which caused anywhere from one million to two million deaths); the Hong Kong Flu of 1968 (which killed anywhere between one and four million people worldwide); and in 2009, the H1N1 Swine Flu (which infected 60,8 million of US residents alone.) Influenza (‘the flu’) and Covid-19, the illness caused by the pandemic SARSCoV-2 corona-virus, are both contagious respiratory illnesses, meaning that they affect your lungs and breathing, and may be spread to others, says Dr Lisa Maragakis, the Senior Director of Infection Prevention, at The Johns Hopkins Health System and the Hospital Epidemiologist for The Johns Hopkins Hospital6. How anyone may argue with her that serious disease and death due to Covid-19 or the flu may be prevented, not only by vaccines but also by wearing masks, frequent and thorough hand washing, coughing into the crook of your elbow, staying home and limiting contact with people when sick, and physical distancing, is beyond me. Last but not least, here’s another call for common sense, this time regarding protecting yourself and your company against cybercrime in its many guises. I remember the first time I received a
spam/phishing email. I laid a complaint with whatever the department was in those days, and poof! – just like that, nothing happened. On an average day, I receive about five suspicious emails which range from congratulating me on winning a fortune, being selected by a foreigner who is purportedly dying of something and wants me to be their beneficiary of millions of dollars, proof of payments (just click here, they entreat…), and this one with its dodgy grammar: “Greetings, How are you doing I am writing you on behalf of your family, I have emailed you earlier on without any response from you. In my first email I mentioned about my late client Daniel, whose relatives I cannot get in touch with regarding the recovery of his deposit with a Finance Firm, but both of you have the same last name so it will be very easy to front you as his official next of kin. I am compelled to do this because I don’t want the finance house to push my client’s funds into their treasury as unclaimed inheritance. Kindly get back to me to my official email … Sincerely” (with no name or surname). My advice to you – and it may be flawed – is block, junk and delete it and never, ever click on any email which you haven’t solicited or that you doubt in any way. Be safe.
Ingrid Olivier, Editor
ingridolivier@idotwrite.co.za
1. https://www.gov.za/speeches/women-youth-
and-persons-disabilities-killing-nosicelomtebeni-23-aug-2021-0000 2. https://www.economist.com/ international/2021/09/04/from-congo-to-thecapitol-conspiracy-theories-are-surging 3. https://covid19.who.int/ 4. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ fpubh.2020.570243/full 5. https://www.darkdaily.com/2021/06/07/ four-international-pandemics-that-occurredprior-to-covid-19/ 6. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/ conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/ coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
SASA UPDATE
Person getting tested for Covid-19.
Update from SASA August has been relatively uneventful in the private security industry, but there are some matters that must be highlighted. From the desk of Tony Botes, SASA National Administrator.
C
ivil unrest Following the incarceration of ex-president Jacob Zuma, there were protest actions, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal, which were reportedly used by criminal elements to commit wholesale looting of shopping centres, warehouses and freestanding shops. These incidents occurred largely in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, though there were other instances throughout the country. The South African Police Service (SAPS) were, unfortunately, not prepared for the magnitude of this criminality and was caught napping, hence the deployment of
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the SANDF (South African National Defense Force) to support them. Despite directives and circulars recently issued by the SAPS National Commissioner and PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority), which strictly prohibited private security companies from carrying out the duties of the SAPS, we were approached by PSIRA with a query from the Minister of Police as to why the private security companies were not assisting the police during this time of civil unrest and looting. The fact of the matter was that security companies were highly active throughout this period, protecting their contracted
clients and the communities – mainly residential – where their clients were situated. Hats off to those companies and security officers who went ‘above and beyond’ their contracted responsibilities, often at great risk to themselves. Unfortunately, a number of security companies, again mainly in KwaZuluNatal, far exceeded their legal mandates, which resulted in a number of arrests and a massive confiscation of their firearms for ballistic testing. I am happy to confirm that no SASA member companies were part of those (illegal) actions.
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Covid-19 SASA members, as well as all other security service providers, are still being hard hit by the pandemic, with staff at all levels, testing positive. Last month, SASA addressed PSIRA for assistance with regard to having the private security industry declared as an essential service inasmuch as prioritising the vaccination of security officers. A large number of SASA members had already committed to making their training centres available as vaccination centres, for both their own employees and any other security officers. PSIRA was of the same opinion and, as advised, had already received the blessing of the Minister of Police for this initiative, who would have to get the support of the Minister of Health and the President. This unfortunately came to naught, as all adults now qualify for vaccinations. SASA is also considering partnering with ISIO (International Security Industry Organization) to upskill our members and their employees to further assist in combatting the pandemic, a serious biological threat to our country as a whole. More information to follow. NBCPSS (National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector) The good news is that the Bargaining Council has finally moved into its own offices, with the (sponsored) gala event on 26 August being well attended. The first compliance arbitrations were held earlier this month and seventeen compliance orders were issued, which were immediately delivered to the Sheriff to effect collections, or attachment of their assets, if the relevant companies refused or were unable to settle the amounts due. THE SYSTEM WORKS! • Nine employers complied with the orders • Eight arbitrations, with two settlements, were held • Six compliance orders were issued Further hearings are scheduled for 28 and 29 September, with 318 compliance orders already having been issued, and hopefully, many more to follow. The Bargaining Council has employed five new agents (inspectors), with another five scheduled to begin in early September. This will still be way short of what it requires for police compliance, but the enforcement division may only be expanded as more companies come on board and start paying levies.
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Unfortunately, a number of security companies far exceeded their legal mandates, which resulted in a number of arrests and a massive confiscation of their firearms for ballistic testing. I am happy to confirm that no SASA member companies were part of those (illegal) actions. The above hearings covered a number of issues, including: • Failure to register with the NBCPSS and pay levies • Failure to participate in the statutory industry provident fund • Failure to participate in the statutory industry medical scheme The Council has, to date, received in excess of 4,000 complaints, which means that it is going to be a difficult exercise to handle all of these in the short term. The Council is in the process of opening a branch office in the East Rand and SASA has offered them space at our offices on the West Rand. The NBCPSS held its second AGM (Annual General Meeting) on 23 August with the following results: Franz Verhufen, the SASA National Chairman, was unanimously elected as Chair of the NBCPSS Board for the next year. We wish him well during his term of office and SASA will obviously support him wherever necessary. SASA has six of the 12 seats on the board of the Council, SANSEA (South African National Security Employers’ Association) has five, and the CEO (Consolidated Employers Organisation) has one — all in all, an excellent team to represent the industry as a whole. The NBCPSS received a clean audit report, quite an achievement with any newly established organisation. The NBCPSS has now been accredited with the CCMA (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration) and it is expected that they will, as soon as logistically possible, commence with labour relations disputes, which are currently still being handled by the CCMA. General compliance Our office has been inundated with compliance complaints, relating to exploitation of security officers, companies and security officers unregistered with PSIRA, the NBCPSS, PSSPF, Affinity Health and general service delivery matters. We forward such complaints to the relevant authorities without fear or favour and are extremely pleased to
confirm that we are enjoying an excellent relationship with all concerned. SASA welcomes reports of noncompliance (with tangible evidence please); although we are not the statutory body tasked with dealing with these matters, we undertake to convey these to the relevant enforcement bodies and, where necessary, protect the whistle-blowers. Membership benefits We are working on expanding membership benefits, which will be communicated to all members once finalised. Currently, these include: • A strictly applied Code of Ethics. • Representation at national and local government level. • Industry exposure in the media as well as at major shows and exhibitions. • Contacts and networking opportunities. • Discounted training courses, events and seminars. • Access to a security library managed by the University of South Africa (UNISA). • Updates on new legislation and other industry-relevant information. • Access to security-related and affiliated associations in South Africa and overseas. • The SASA national website. • A central administration office. • Free digital subscription to Security Focus Africa magazine, official journal of SASA. • A mentorship programme which is designed to guide and assist start-up security companies with attaining the compliance standards required to qualify for Gold Membership. For more information about what SASA does and how it can help you and your company, or to report any wrongdoings or concerns, please contact Tony Botes, SASA National Administrator, at: Tel: 0861 100 680 / 083 650 4981 Cell: 083 272 1373 Email: info@sasecurity.co.za / tony@sasecurity.co.za Website: www.sasecurity.co.za
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
News snippets from around the world Zuma on medical parole. Last Sunday, the Department of Correctional Services announced that the former president would be released on medical parole due to undisclosed medical conditions. He served only 58 days of his 15-month sentence for being in contempt of the Constitutional Court. Parties and groups are now planning legal action and other processes to either get the parole reversed or fully disclose the purported medical problems that allowed it to happen. https://businesstech.co.za
SA expresses concern over Guinea coup
Eastern Cape police hunting for murder suspects after fatal farm attack
Gauteng leads with parolees released without DNA samples being taken
The police in Eastern Cape are investigating a case of murder after a farmer was fatally shot and his son wounded during an invasion of their farmhouse by three armed men at Kinkelbos in the Eastern Cape. Police Spokesperson, Majola Nkohli says the 55-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body and died on the scene. Nkholi says that the injured son and his mother – with unknown injuries – were rushed to the nearest hospital. Police are investigating a case of murder with additional charges of attempted murder and house robbery for further investigation. www.sabcnews.com
Gauteng has emerged as the province with the highest number of convicted prisoners who were released on parole without their DNA samples being taken. This was revealed by Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola when he was responding in writing to parliamentary questions from DA MP Andrew Whitfield. Whitfield had enquired about the total number of convicted schedule eight offenders who were not added to the national forensic DNA database of convicted offenders but were released on parole each year since January 2016. Murder, rape, sexual offences and kidnapping are some of the charges falling under the schedule eight offences. In his response, Lamola said in terms of the amended Criminal Law, the responsibility to draw DNA samples and maintain records for the national forensic database was that of the SAPS (South African Police Service). www.iol.co.za
Estina Dairy Farm case postponed to October The court case involving Gupta associate Iqbal Sharma, his brother-in-law, Dinesh Patel, and three senior Free State government officials has been postponed to October. They face fraud and money laundering charges and are accused of defrauding the Free State Agriculture Department of almost R25m in 2011. www.enca.com
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Jacob Zuma medical parole being challenged Political parties and civil rights groups are challenging the early release of Jacob
The South African government has noted with great concern the ongoing political and security situation in the Republic of Guinea following an apparent coup d’etat last weekend. In a statement issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the South African Government called for the ‘immediate release’ of Prof Alpha Condé, the President of Guinea ‘unharmed and the African Union to actively intervene to ensure a speedy return to stability’. Government further called on the soldiers/military to exercise total restraint and refrain from political interference. “In addition, South Africa urges all political actors and civil society to engage in meaningful dialogue in order to resolve the current political challenges facing the country,” said DIRCO on Monday. www.sanews.gov.za
’The death sentence you face when testifying against killer gangsters’ in SA Cape Flats activist Roegshanda Pascoe has pulled no punches in calling Bonteheuwel councillor Angus McKenzie and police ‘mad and irresponsible’ for urging those who witnessed an alleged gang leader being killed to come forward. “It’s easy for him to talk because he will not suffer any repercussions. Nor could he, police or the State guarantee the safety of any
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NEWS IN BRIEF
witness, and he should be open about that. It is basically a death sentence. One of the biggest crimes being committed by the State is against State witnesses,’’ she told IOL last Monday. Still living in witness protection more than three years after testifying against killer gangsters, thanks only to the assistance of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, Pascoe’s grandchildren dare not even take public transport. www.iol.co.za
Hawks arrest man who paid a R50,000 bribe to cop investigating relative’s case A 42-year-old man who was arrested during an undercover operation for allegedly paying a R50,000 bribe to a police officer investigating his family member, has been charged for corruption. Hawks spokesperson Simphiwe Mhlongo, said the man was arrested during an undercover operation last Friday. Mhlongo said it is alleged that the suspect’s brother-inlaw had been charged for tampering with essential infrastructure and theft of crude oil. Mhlongo said that an undercover operation was carried out by Hawks members from the Newcastle Serious Organised Crime Investigation team. www.iol.co.za
Not so fast SA energy regulator Nersa has put to rest the bold claims that South Africa’s 2,500mW nuclear build is back in action and forging ahead. While the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said last week that Nersa had concurred with its plans to proceed with the nuclear build, minutes released from the meeting by Nersa show that the regulator’s concurrence is conditional and that several suspensive conditions have not yet been met. In effect, Nersa is on board with the very start of the process, not a call for proposals for a new nuclear build. www.dailymaverick.co.za
Concourt rules against local election postponement The Constitutional Court on Friday ruled against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)’s application to postpone the local election until February 2022. Elections must be held between 27 October and 1 November this year. www.702.co.za
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Cabinet reassures whistleblowers’ safety after Deokaran’s murder Cabinet has welcomed the two new arrests in Babita Deokaran’s murder case, saying that whistleblowers like her were important guardians of clean governance. Last Thursday, Cabinet reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protect whistleblowers in the wake of the murder of Babita Deokaran, acting chief director of financial accounting in the Gauteng Department of Health. So far, nine people have been taken in since the murder investigation began. Deokaran was fatally shot after dropping her child at school. She was a key witness in the Special Investigating Unit’s probe into corruption related to the procurement of personal protective equipment and other illegal activities. https://ewn.co.za
Where South Africa fits into the richest countries in the world – StatsSA Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) recently published updated estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) in South Africa, following a comprehensive rebasing of the data. During the process, Stats SA included new sources of information, improved the compilation methodology, reviewed and refined the classification of economic activities, and updated the reference year. The new base year for the national accounts is 2015 — in other words, real GDP is now measured at constant 2015 prices instead of 2010 prices, as was previously the case. As a result, the revised estimate of GDP in 2020 is now R5,521 billion, an increase of 11% compared with the previous estimate of R4,973 billion — an addition of R548 billion in estimated output. The annual growth rate for 2020 was revised from 7.0% to -6.4%. The changes to
South Africa’s placement in the global GDP ranking are not significant. The rebased GDP figure in USD (using like-forlike conversion) is $335.2 billion, making South Africa the 36th largest economy in the world, up from 37th ($301 billion). businesstech.co.za
Gender Commission alarmed over increase in contact crimes The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has expressed concern over the dramatic increase in contact crimes, which it said tended to amount to crimes committed against women and girls, such as genderbased violence (GBVF) and femicide. Members of LGBTQI community were also disproportionately affected by contact crimes. Spokesperson for the CGE, Javu Baloyi, said that analysis of contact crime figures in the first quarter of the past five years indicated that contact crimes had been on an upward trajectory. “For instance, in 2017/18, a total of 140,821 incidents of contact crimes were recorded, while in 2018/19, a total of 141,115 were recorded. An increase was noted in 2019/20 where 144,267 incidents were recorded. In 2021/22 the figures have increased yet again, to 145,120. This means that the drop which was recorded in 2020/21 was a clear anomaly, when the overall figure dropped to 90,376 – the lowest figure recorded in the five-year period. This was an unusual year, due mainly to the Covid-19 hard lockdown nationwide restrictions,” Baloyi said. The latest quarterly (April-June) crime statistics, released by the SAPS on August 29, revealed that categories of contact crimes such as murder, attempted murder, sexual offences and all categories of assault increased by a staggering 60.6% compared to the corresponding period of the previous financial year. www.iol.co.za
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NEWS IN BRIEF Security company not linked to theft at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, says Minister Phaahla Health Minister Joe Phaahla is adamant that the security company contracted to guard Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital could not be linked to the theft charges after a fire broke out at the health facility in April. Minister Phaahla said this when he was responding to written parliamentary questions by IFP’s Duduzile Hlengwa. Hlengwa asked the minister whether, in light of a case opened for theft of items valued at an estimated R200,000 at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, to explain how some fire doors were left unguarded when an amount of more than R3 million was being spent on the security detail each month at the hospital. She also asked whether the relevant security company was being held liable for the theft. Hlengwa further asked whether there was camera surveillance that could aid with the investigation, given that R450,000 was spent on electronic surveillance each month at the hospital. www.iol.co.za
Possible illegal mining connection to ‘tightly wrapped’ body found in Benoni Gauteng police have opened an inquest docket after a body suspected to be linked to illegal mining was found tightly wrapped in bags in Benoni, Gauteng. Police spokesperson Capt Mavela Masondo said that the body was found last Sunday. “Police confirm that the body was found wrapped in a bag and
dumped in Benoni,” he said. In June, twenty bodies – suspected to be those of illegal miners – were discovered just outside Klerksdorp in the North West, wrapped in white plastic bags and – according to the police – with severe burns. The first bodies were found outside an old, unused mine shaft ventilation in Lawrence Park, Orkney, while fourteen more decomposed bodies were found along Ariston Road near the railway line in Orkney. www.timeslive.co.za
SA President Cyril Ramaphosa: 12 million people have applied for social relief of distress grant President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa says that the recent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng dealt a severe blow to the government’s economic recovery plan. He said this was reflected in the large number of people, 12 million, who had applied for the unemployment grant of R350, reflecting the levels of unemployment and poverty in communities. Ramaphosa said undoubtedly what happened in KZN and Gauteng had been a setback to the government’s plan to revive the ailing economy. He also said the Department of Social Development was now processing the applications for social relief distress. The government had stopped the R350 grant last October but extended it early this year. www.iol.co.za
Sa’s Garden Route: Police arrest 268 in weekend crime combating operations The charges ranged from breaking
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Covid-19 laws to illegal firearm possession. The law officials’ action plan came with a full force of strategic deployment of integrated forces after it was noted that the Garden Route area is faced with growing crime. The operation included high visibility patrols in crimestricken areas, roadblocks, stop-andsearch operations with a special focus on drug and liquor outlets, illegal firearms, the tracing of wanted suspects, and the confiscation of dangerous weapons,” said Road Safety in a statement on their website and as shared by Arrive Alive on Twitter. www.thesouthafrican.com
Criminal syndicates target Transnet fuel, millions of litres of fuel stolen in the current financial year More than 3 million litres of fuel have been stolen in the current financial year by brazen criminal syndicates targeting Transnet’s fuel pipeline. As a litre of petrol costs an average of R16, close to R50 million has been stolen in less than six months of this financial year. The government parastatal said that it was battling rampant attacks on its fuel pipeline by thieves looking to steal fuel, which is threatening the country’s economy and leading to loss of lives. The problem is so serious that five people have been killed while 150 others were arrested in connection with attacks on its pipeline. In a statement, Transnet said that increased surveillance was showing positive signs in curbing the theft. In light of the attacks, the company has urged consumers not to purchase fuel from unregistered traders. www.iol.co.za
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NEWS
POPIA compels companies to turn to multi-factor authentication to secure valuable customer data South African companies have responded admirably to the challenges of doing business in a pandemic with many accelerating their digital strategies and opening new channels for consumer engagement. By Wessel Matthee, Information Security and Compliance Manager at Entersekt.
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nfortunately, bad actors have also adapted exceedingly well, taking advantage of loopholes across different channels and using the opportunity to access poorly secured data. And, while business leaders have been focussed on securing our transactional data, in the longer term, compromised personal information can result in just as much damage as a breached bank account. According to a Microsoft report, global consumers use an average of between three and five customer service channels when engaging with a brand. Securing each channel in the most appropriate way, that doesn’t inject too much friction into the user journey, while still providing sufficient security – even for non-financial data – is a growing challenge for global businesses. As POPIA takes effect, this takes on an added complexity for local organisations. In South Africa we don’t just have to secure our own information, companies must also ensure that they are monitoring their partners and conducting due diligence. Unfortunately, around 90 to 95 percent of companies don’t conduct this due diligence, leaving them vulnerable should a breach occur. Even if it was a third party that was breached, the company whose personal information was compromised will still be held accountable. Simple username and password access protocols are no longer enough when it comes to protecting data, even nonfinancial data. While mobile network operators and financial service companies have applied authentication protocols for some time, when it comes to other sectors such as healthcare providers, this is often overlooked. We love to share, and it’s costing us dearly South Africans are a friendly people. We love to share our triumphs and misfortunes
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and social media has given us the perfect platform to do this. The problem arises when we share information without thinking and that information falls into the wrong hands and is combined with data from compromised sites. We have to understand that nonfinancial data is also valuable and may be ‘weaponised’ by fraudsters. Many organisations rely on knowledge-based authentication such as security questions for access to their systems. For example, if a customer calls their bank or insurance company, the company has to ensure they are talking to the actual customer. To confirm this, they usually ask security questions, like your address or date of birth. The same is often true for access to online systems. But much of that information is already out there — either on social media or via a breach, making it very easy for fraudsters to impersonate a legitimate customer. To mitigate this risk it is vital that we become a lot more circumspect about what we share on social media. But it is also vital that all companies which hold personal information, such as medical aids, hospitals, legal firms and others make use of appropriate authentication. The one sector which is significantly at risk is telecommunications and MNOs in particular. This was highlighted recently in the chaos surrounding the T-Mobile breach where 40 million customers had personal information stolen. If you breach an MNO you have access to a multitude of valuable data. You have access to personal information, and you have the ability to steal payment information as well as security information. The fallout from this could be very costly. Customers have lost trust and want more control The spike in data breaches over recent years has given many customers reason to be mistrustful of how their information is stored and protected. In fact, research
shows that consumers’ attitudes to a “friction-free” experience may be changing, and they would now prefer to verify transactions before funds leave their account. While this attitude is more prevalent with older customers, it is still a fairly contrarian position and shows just how guarded we have become when it comes to trusting brands to protect our data. The growing pressure to secure nonfinancial data, not only as a result of POPIA, but also due to the increasing expectations from the general public has resulted in a significant spike in interest in authentication solutions. We have seen a 50 per cent spike in enquiries from non-financial companies in the last year. The healthcare sector in particular is waking up to just how at risk they could be if they can’t show they have taken all reasonable precautions to safeguard personal information. The need for excellent multi-factor authentication is even more important when companies begin participating in ecosystems and exchanging data with third parties. Passwords and knowledge-based questions will not cut it and companies found wanting will have a hard time trying to convince a judge they had done enough, should they be breached. Not to mention the catastrophic loss of trust from their customers, which in today’s world is a currency all of its own.
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11
ALARMS
Alarm technology:
key to safety in today’s covid-19 and violent crime-ravaged environment R50 billion and 150,000 jobs lost. That is one of many estimated costs of the violence and looting that occurred in South Africa in July this year1
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nd it’s not an isolated cost. As a result of that deadly week, people are reassessing and upgrading their security systems, many of which proved inadequate in the face of that mass criminality, say security service providers. Entire malls, stand-alone shops, banks and ATMs, highways and trucks were vandalised, 215 – this figure could be higher – people died and countless others were injured, emphasising the country’s woefully under-resourced police force and army — and the vital role that cutting-edge alarm technology has to play with regard to keeping people and property safe. “It certainly was a challenging month, and particularly for Gauteng
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and KwaZulu-Natal,” says Brett Fisher, executive director of TRSS, which supplies and installs a large range of well-known, tried and tested alarm systems, beams and CCTVs. Mr Fisher, who believes that early warning and intelligence may have helped limit the damage, says the violence highlighted how effective private security companies in South Africa may be and how they may assist the SAPS (South African Police Service) and the SANDF (South African National Defense Force). “As a result, we’re investing even more into our special operations teams, with hi-tech equipment, including the latest firepower, thermal imaging, and drones. It’s more important than ever, now that security companies have decent
size fleets of armed reaction vehicles, backed up by heavily armed special operations teams. This is the unfortunate reality in South Africa. Gone are the days of contracting to a small start-up business with a handful of vehicles, no SAIDSA (South African Intruder Detection Association)-approved control room and non-compliant staff. It’s all about companies that have the muscle power and the technology required to protect their clients during emergencies.” The new challenges: Covid-19, violent looting and jamming Even before the deadly violence, though, demand for alarm systems was growing as a result of the work-from-home trend created by the Covid-19 pandemic, says
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ALARMS
Robert Solomon Gallagher.
Troy Hector.
Brett Fisher.
Alpha Security director Pierre Conradie. “Staff working from home required alarms and panic buttons, and company owners, identifying the increased risk to their closed or partially closed premises, required better security, too. Demand is at an all-time high for complete home automation systems rather than the traditional alarm system, with the incorporation of cameras a high priority.” “As may be seen over the last few weeks, the threat against property and people is huge: not only the looting, but the general lawlessness in South Africa, which has sadly become the rule rather than the exception. Due to the incapability of the statutory forces, more emphasis is being placed on the early detection of potentially volatile and violent situations,” Mr Conradie says. The alarm system of yesterday is obsolete, agrees Troy Hector, CEO of Vix Net, not least of all because of jamming. “Jamming isn’t limited to vehicles as many people think,” he says. “It’s a particular crime form that focuses on moving and non-moving targets, it’s performed by individuals and syndicates, and it’s used in home and business burglaries, to steal cars, attack cargo containers etc. Yet, despite the increase in crime, the dire economic climate is forcing people to cut down on expenses such as security, companies (including some in the security sector) are experiencing financial duress and being liquidated or acquired, and you may see how the risk threat is growing.” Gauteng-based TRSS, which is
planning to expand nationally, has built its reputation on a foundation of cutting-edge alarm technology, welltrained personnel and an in-your-face 24/7 presence, all critical in a country which is struggling with record levels of unemployment, crime and the Covid-19 pandemic, says Mr Fisher. “As unemployment rises, people become more and more desperate and are prepared to do whatever it takes to make ends meet. Company owners are aware of this, and those who are able to afford it are investing in additional security measures to safeguard their premises, staff, clients and assets. As a result, our software product offerings include tripwires, no-go zones, and many other analytics, all of which send an alarm to an offsite control room that is ready to despatch armed reaction vehicles at a moment’s notice.” Danny Pringle is the director of Secutel, which is headquartered in Gauteng, with a national footprint in seven of the country’s nine provinces. The company supplies leading intruder detection systems (IDS), with visual verification capabilities, to clients ranging from security service providers and banks to wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the trend has been for employees to work from home, resulting in many areas and buildings being vacant for extended periods,” he says. “Then the violence in July occurred. The riots and looting weren’t easy to manage, owing to the vast numbers of people taking part in
them, and the extent they went to, to damage and destroy property and infrastructure. It was virtually impossible to prevent the loss of assets. Security staff had the unenviable task of trying to protect their clients’ properties and assets, putting their own safety at risk.” He continues: “Most of our clients rent intruder detection and surveillance equipment from us and, as such, where premises were burnt or vandalised, our equipment was destroyed in the process, at hundreds of sites in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. In the case of banks, where looters attacked ATM cubicles, not even our front-of-ATM surveillance equipment was spared. Some of these sites will not be revived or made operational by our clients, while others will need to be reconstructed before they may become functional again. The full extent of our losses due to these riots and looting will only be known once our clients have assessed their plan-of-action for each of the affected sites.”
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The challenges from within the industry Says Brett Fisher: “Among the main challenges within the alarm industry today are security companies that have not evolved with technology, a lack of investment in staff and equipment, the use of cheap systems to attract clients on price, and companies that aren’t SAIDSA qualified, which effectively puts their clients at great risk when they need help the most. In a worst-case scenario, this may mean loss of life. The barrier to entry
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ALARMS
in the security world is, unfortunately, still too easy. New companies pop up constantly; some employ illegal staff and/ or pay them below the regulated salaries, which in turn causes a demotivated workforce and leads to obvious security risks.” Solutions Alarm technology is now on another level, says Mr Fisher. “It allows companies to be proactive rather than reactive.” There are many excellent options in the marketplace today, he points out, all of which combine modern technology with manpower, and provide wide-ranging solutions for residences and workplaces. “The emphasis is on well-managed guarding services together with CCTV monitored offsite with analytics or virtual guarding solutions, and accurate reporting.” One of the most important factors in an alarm system, believes Danny Pringle, is for control room operators to have access to visuals immediately, during an event or intrusion. Further, operators should only deal with exceptions to avoid the noise created by false alarms. “It’s also imperative for guards to be equipped with bodycams fitted with GPS tracking so that they may communicate with the command centre using voice and imaging in real time” he says, adding: “In that way, a better judgement of the realities of the situation should lead to improved decision-making and actions.” Well-designed alarm technology may secure not only the owner’s property — it may safeguard an entire neighbourhood, says Pierre Conradie. There’s no single one-size-fits-all system, though. Each area or situation needs to be evaluated and the system adapted to eradicate as many security-related challenges as possible, using some, if not all, of the following: • IOT (Internet of Things) technology for home automation, including IOT panic buttons • High quality alarm systems with the emphasis on the exterior of properties • High quality smart camera systems • Vehicle tracking linked to the house alarm system • Personal panic buttons • Defensive training Today’s best alarm systems comprise not only a digital control panel but also smartphone security apps, access to web portals, alarm transponders, reliable communications networks and control rooms, adds Troy Hector. Addon options for bigger budgets include
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contact/non-contact ID, GPS location, alternate communications medium, remote management capabilities, smart phone app compatibility and Ethernet or other interfaces. “I like the adoption of drone technologies by TRSS as well as 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Big Data (BD), all of which may assist in a proactive as opposed to a reactive response. Seamless scaling, high reliability and no congestion or delays go hand-in-hand with the world’s best-in-class alarm systems.” Last word Robert Solomon, Technical Business Development Manager for Gallagher Africa, concludes: “Last year, when Covid-19 began spreading across the globe, and governments worldwide enforced mass lockdowns to combat the virus, it became more important than ever to protect commercial spaces which would be closed for an indefinite period. With more empty premises – due to the pandemic – came a greater need for the ability to remotely access and review what was happening onsite, and a greater demand for alarm systems. While alarm systems may provide early warning of unauthorised access to a site, they should be integrated with other measures to deter, detect, and delay. The basis of protection for any site should be designed to deter an intrusion attempt, detect them immediately if they do happen, and delay an intruder’s progress, to provide time to respond before significant damage occurs. Thus, for an alarm system to be truly successful, it
must be monitored and form part of a layered security solution.” 1. Bloomberg.com https://www.bloomberg. com/news/articles/2021-07-20/southafrican-economy-set-to-take-3-4-billion-hitfrom-riots
Contributors TRSS Website: www.trss.co.za Phone: 086 111 4021 Email: marketing@TRSS.co.za Vix Net Website: https://www.vixnet.co.za Phone: +27 81 436 2119 Email: ceo@vixnet.co.za Gallagher Africa Website: https://security.gallagher.com Phone: +27 11 974 4740 +27 11 971 4200 Email: sales.za@security.gallagher.com Alpha Security Websites: www.alpha-security.co.za www.amadlozi.co.za Phone: +27 035 5620200 Email: ceo@alpha-group.co.za Secutel Website: https://secutel.co.za Phone: +27 011 675 3561 Email: sales@secutel.co.za
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OPINION ALARMS PIECE
The right infrastructure is essential to leveraging the benefits of BaaS Data is a strategic business asset, and it needs to be protected from a multitude of threats. This includes ransomware and cybercrime activities as well as natural disaster, human error and, in South Africa’s case, frequent load shedding. By Lourens Sanders, Solution Architect at Infinidat.
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ackup as a Service (BaaS) offers a wide range of data protection and recovery solutions as a managed service, which may be hugely beneficial. However, without appropriate underlying storage infrastructure, these benefits may be difficult to leverage. A data protection strategy needs to take many elements into account, not least of which is the supporting architecture. Organisations need high performance, robust, easy-to-manage and integrated storage architecture to eliminate bottlenecks and ensure backups are performed timeously. In addition, the speed of recovery is critical in the event of data loss. Protecting your data is of the essence Ransomware remains a threat, and phishing is still a widely-used tactic that many fall victim to. Organisations’ data is at risk of being stolen if it is not adequately protected. Aside from cybercrime attacks, there are many other things that may result in data being lost. This includes accidental deletion and data corruption resulting from frequent power outages. Lost data may negatively impact businesses in many ways, including eroded customer trust, a loss of revenue and disruptions to business continuity. Recovering the right data in the appropriate time period is vital to ensuring that businesses may continue to operate with minimal interruption. Only a well-designed data protection strategy and solution enables this. The benefits of BaaS To meet the needs of today’s organisations, a data protection strategy needs to address specific requirements when it comes to performance, ease of management, integration and total cost of ownership (TCO). BaaS may assist with these factors through a broad range of services including off-site backups from
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on-premises environments, and backup for on-premises or hosted environments — all delivered as a managed service. BaaS may help organisations to eliminate single points of failure or siloed approaches with regard to backup. In addition, off-site backups ensure that a fully recoverable copy of data is available — they are air-gapped and out of reach of malware attacks. Managed services also ensure expert skills are available and best practices are followed. BaaS enables organisations to focus on their core business, rather than on running and managing data backup, protection and recovery. However, without the right infrastructure, none of these benefits are easy to realise. Infrastructure at the core The supporting infrastructure and underlying storage architecture is a critical component of a successful BaaS. Any bottlenecks which may cause errors in backup or data replication may be catastrophic, and suboptimal storage performance may negatively impact performance elsewhere. When backups are performed, they need to happen quickly, without affecting the production environment. Both the source and target infrastructure have a direct impact on the speed and efficiency of how data is read and written. Reliability is also key for source and target infrastructure — organisations need high availability during backup and recovery scenarios. BaaS therefore is directly impacted by the performance, reliability, and serviceability of the infrastructure. Organisations need high reliability with regard to both backup data and restore functionality. However, the ability to restore quickly in the event of a loss is critical to business continuity and disaster recovery. To ensure BaaS delivers optimal benefits, organisations need petabyte scale, enterprise performance and availability with the lowest TCO. Purpose-
built backup appliances are available which address these needs, delivering unmatched speeds and highly effective target-side deduplication, along with incredibly fast data recovery and high data resiliency. This ensures that data is available quickly and reliably at all times. It is also important for these appliances to be integrated with industry-leading data protection vendors to extract even more value. This enables organisations to design and implement the best possible data protection strategy from the start, or transition seamlessly if an existing solution is in place. Other benefits include multi-tenancy capability and multi-protocol support. The right foundation A well-designed and well-implemented data protection strategy should be a top priority for all organisations, as the safekeeping of sensitive information is critical. BaaS should form part of such a strategy to ensure that copies of data may easily be retrieved in case of a disaster, in the most optimal time frames. No matter what scale a data protection strategy operates at, the correct underlying infrastructure is key, delivering the right combination of performance, simplified management and integration for optimal Total Cost of Ownership.
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INDUSTRY OPINION
digitally-driven economy will lead to greater income disparity, increased unemployment, and overall global economic losses. To stay ahead of the curve, organisations and individuals need to commit to lifelong learning, to acquire and sustain the relevant skill sets to succeed in the ever-changing workplace of the future. While 4IR is dominated by technology, the skills which set people apart from machines will be emphasised. These skills will assist organisations and individuals to adapt and participate in the changing landscape of work.
Ongoing skills development is a key defence against digital disruption The dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) was always going to be fraught with challenges, but nobody could have predicted the massively disruptive event that was the Covid-19 pandemic. By Sarthak Rohal, VP - IT services at AlphaCodes.
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he world was thrown into turmoil and forced to adapt – it became a matter of ‘digital or die’. The pandemic threw into stark relief the need to continually adapt skill sets to meet evolving requirements in a world where the only constant is change. With the future uncertain, one thing is for sure — ongoing skills development is the best defence to ensure organisations have the ability to pivot to handle digital disruption with ease. New world, new skills The 2020 ‘Future of Jobs’ report1 from the World Economic Forum estimates that by 2025, on average, organisations will require 40% per cent of workers to reskill. Moreover, more than one-third of the current skills, that are believed to be essential for today’s workforce, will change or are already in the process of change. The report shows that the top 10 skills required in the future will all revolve around problem-solving, selfmanagement, people skills and the use and development of technology. Adding to the complexity, 4IR means that, increasingly, people will need to share the workplace with Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms and bots. This fundamentally changes the skills matrix
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required to thrive in the workplace in future. In addition to problem solving and technology, skills like analytical thinking, creativity and interpersonal communication become critical. Employees also need to develop greater Emotional Intelligence (EQ), as well as leadership and people management skills, to handle growing diversity and develop cultural intelligence. Above all, employees need to have cognitive flexibility, the ability to embrace change, and a mindset which supports active learning and personal growth. Staying ahead of the curve Businesses that fail to pay sufficient attention to skills development will likely suffer from a variety of productivityrelated challenges. These include unhappy and ineffective employees, increased cost of production, lack of innovation resulting in loss of competitive edge and, ultimately, lost customers and lost revenue. Failure to acquire or adequately train the future generation of workers for the
A new approach is needed There may be no doubt that 4IR holds significant promise for business with the rapidly expanding use of robotics and process automation, big data to create smarter supply chains, and AI for decisionmaking. However, the speed of technology evolution is outpacing the speed at which current and future talent may be upskilled and trained. Eventually, this will create a chasm between skills needed and skills available. For businesses to have the ability to leverage the advantages of 4IR, they require an abundant supply of necessary skills. To achieve this, it is essential to rethink and rejuvenate the current education and training framework. In SubSaharan Africa alone, some 230 million jobs will require digital skills by 20302, which equates to 650 training opportunities, creating a $130 billion market. While the National Skills Development Strategy already exists in South Africa, encouraging local enterprises to invest in skills, there is a lot more that is required to meet the requirements of 4IR. The focus needs to shift to a mindset of continuous learning, upskilling, and reskilling, including not only technology skills but the so-called ‘soft’ skills which will become increasingly critical as robotics and AI rise. Above all, it is essential to monitor the effectiveness of training, supply and demand management, and the depth of management skills, to ensure that skills development continues to meet changing needs, now, and in the future. 1. https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-futureof-jobs-report-2020 2. https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/ connect/38390d15-e30e-4d6e-b0d2bb09f6146efa/Digital+Skills+Report_ Flyer_5-22-19_web. pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=mHwcBU8
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BUSINESS COMPLIANCY NEWS
MySky Networks empowers Respublica student network IT Managed Services company MySky Networks has partnered with Networks Unlimited to implement the Fortinet Security Fabric at Respublica Student Living, a provider of ten upmarket residences for students in tertiary education around the country.
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his has allowed Respublica to continue offering its tenants ongoing secure access to unlimited online services, at a time when being able to remain online has been so important to both business and education services alike. This is according to Dylan Horsten, CEO at MySky Networks, who explains, “Education plays such a huge role in empowering South Africa’s citizens to continue moving forward, both as individuals and for the country as a whole. Our client plays a big role here by offering clean, modern accommodation to over 8,000 tertiary education students in five key national hubs, namely Pretoria, Johannesburg, Midrand, Bloemfontein and Cape Town. “The students attend universities and tertiary institutions in the area where their particular residence is located. Uncapped Wi-Fi today is obviously a requirement for places of learning, including the residences that operate as homes for tertiary education students during term times. It was a business imperative for our client to be capable of keeping the students’ online access intact during this pandemic era.” Mr Horsten clarifies that Respublica has been a client for some two years, and that MySky has been providing a full-managed security service across all 11 sites, including the company’s head office, since the contract began. He outlines that the client’s initial requirements were as follows: • Provide Wi-Fi to all tenants; • Report on usage and have smart policies in place to prevent abuse; • Be able to block content to prevent unwanted content; • Integrate into their student management platform for control of who has access; and • Provide the ability to turn the Wi-Fi off if a tenant is in arrears on payment. After conducting a thorough analysis of the different security solutions available on the market, MySky identified Fortinet as the preferred vendor capable of providing broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions through its Fortinet
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Security Fabric approach. This included a number of key capabilities including per user bandwidth capping and dynamic shaping policies, content blocking policies, local user identification/ authentication and support for Single Sign On (SSO), support for virtual private networks (VPN), reporting and log retention, advanced threat protection including Intrusion Prevention (IPS), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection, antivirus and antispam, Sandboxing, URL filtering and SSL support. Thus, MySky relies on the following Fortinet products and services: • FortiGate Next Generation firewall (NGFW) • FortiManager, for a single interface for management; • FortiAnalyzer Security Fabric Log management, analytics and reporting solution providing monitoring and reporting, which includes a 180 days live data retention and 365 days of archived data logs; • FortiClient, for secure remote access; • Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, providing data and application prioritisation and utilisation of all internet links at site for better performance and redundancy. Mr Horsten says, “The Fortinet Security Fabric protects the entire attack surface through actionable threat intelligence sharing — provided through FortiGuard, Fortinet’s internal threat research and intelligence arm; automated protection; and efficient operations that meet Respublica’s needs. Additionally, MySky has partnered with Networks Unlimited, a Fortinet distributor, since March 2015.” “It’s wonderful for a business to have best-of-breed IT technology, but it needs to be managed properly,” says Keegan Moodley, IT Operations Manager at Respublica. “Respublica is now enjoying the following benefits: bandwidth management; network segmentation and security; PCI compliance on reporting; and simplified management of their IT requirements via a single managed service provider. We believe that the managed
Dylan Horsten
services model is a cost-effective and superior solution for business, allowing us to focus on our business and allow a reputable partner take care of the IT infrastructure and services. “And this is where MySky Networks comes in — they implement best-of-breed technology solutions by using world-class technology partners and service providers. When we are proactive with our managed IT services rather than reactive, we are enabled to concentrate on our business and work towards experiencing positive results which directly affect the bottom line,” he concludes. About Networks Unlimited Networks Unlimited is a value-added distributor, committed to empowering African businesses through innovative technology solutions. Our focus includes the world’s leading security, networking, storage, enterprise system management (ESM) and cloud technologies. As a company, we are dedicated to taking our partner ecosystem to new heights. We support our partners through operational excellence, a competitive pricing strategy and strong focus on education, with the view of investing in long-term relationships. We work with competitive, resilient businesses, who are leaders in their field of excellence. Our offerings include a portfolio of products highly regarded by Gartner, such as Altaro, Attivo Networks, Cofense, Fortinet, F5, Hitachi Vantara, NETSCOUT, NVIDIA, ProLabs, RSA, Rubrik, SentinelOne, SevOne, Silver Peak, Tenable, Tintri and Uplogix. Contacts Networks Unlimited, David Wilson, david.wilson@nu.co.za, +27 (0) 11 202 8400 icomm, Vivienne Fouché, +27 (0) 82 602 1635, vivienne@pr.co.za
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BUSINESS COMPLIANCY NEWS
An image of an authentic hologram label.
Dr Paul Dunn, IHMA chair.
International trade body warns over counterfeit cannabis growth Reports of counterfeit cannabis have reinforced the critical need to protect bonafide products and packaging, says the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA).
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ales of synthetic cannabinoids being mis-sold as cannabis are on the rise in the UK, presenting a significant health risk to the general public, reports a harm reduction project1 that analyses samples of drugs provided by the public and other participating organisations. With the increased legalisation of the drug around the world, including in many US states, the IHMA believes it is critically important regulated cannabis products used for pain relief, relaxation and sleeping disorders, are protected fully and secure from the threat of criminal counterfeiters. This will become even more important in the next few years it says, as the race to improve production and bring down costs in the face of growing demand for legalised cannabis-derived treatments opens new opportunities for consumer goods and pharmaceuticals. Earlier this year in the UK, an analysis of 37 samples believed to be THC e-liquids used in vapes found that only 26% contained THC or cannabis, while 57% contained some form of synthetic cannabinoid. Even more concerning are reports2 that cannabis edibles being sold via social media and made in bulk using packaging bought via e-commerce sites, have been
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hospitalising UK school children. Counterfeiting is already a multi-billiondollar global problem, but counterfeit cannabis is another alarming development that sees criminals taking advantage of people who might be desperate for products during the pandemic, says the IHMA. Cannabis packaging must comply with stringent regulatory requirements while retaining eye-catching consumer appeal. So the IHMA is urging supply chains and authorities to review how they tackle the threat before the situation exacerbates, looking at authentication technologies such as readily available holograms, which may effectively protect people and international distribution channels. Dr Paul Dunn, chair of the IHMA, said: “The rise in fake drugs is a huge global problem and cannabis counterfeits are no different. However, holograms are effective weapons in the battle to combat criminals. “They provide a flexible, quick-todeploy visual authentication device that may bolster supply chains, helping manufacturers, regulatory authorities, international law enforcement and border customs improve their anti-counterfeiting plans. “The use of track-and-trace programmes featuring security devices and integrated QR codes are particularly
helpful in proving the authenticity of cannabis products and packaging. This may be very reassuring for all involved, as well as consumers, confirming products are genuine and safe to use.” IHMA member AuthentiBrand is among those leading the development of holograms to secure the safety and provenance of cannabis packaging. President Peter Scheir said its holograms feature on millions of packages and added: “We develop affordable… strategies for seed-to-sale tracking, authentication, marketing and promotions.” The use of well-designed and properly deployed authentication solutions, as advocated by the ISO12931 standard, enables examiners to verify the authenticity of a legitimate product, differentiating it from fake products coming from counterfeiting hot spots in Asia and eastern Europe. Even those that carry a ‘fake’ authentication feature may be distinguished from the genuine item if that item carries a carefully thought-out authentication solution. 1. https://www.leafie.co.uk/news/fake-cannabisuk/ 2. https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5gpnw/ dodgy-cannabis-sweets-are-making-uk-kidssick
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NEWS
Cele clarifies jump in Quarterly Crime Stats From https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/cele-clarifies-jump-quarterly-crime-stats
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olice Minister Bheki Cele says that steep increases in the Quarterly Crime Statistics, are a result of a normalisation of statistics as opposed to the same reporting period last year, when the country was in lockdown. Cele was speaking during the release of the Quarterly Crime Statistics, which reflect double-digit increases in crimes that occurred between April and the end of June this year. “The crime statistics of the first quarter… are dismal if not understood within the context that lockdown levels introduced an irregular variation into the crime trends. This, however, does not get us off the hook. The double-digit increases do not necessarily reflect a true picture because they are being compared to an abnormal period when the country was at a standstill. It still means more work must be done to ensure the safety of all those who live within our borders,” he said at a media briefing on Friday. The Minister, however, accepted that crime levels are rising at an alarming rate. “The crime holiday is long gone and these figures should activate us and strengthen us in our resolve. The figures – as distorted as they are – must also sharpen the South African Police Service (SAPS) operational responses to make South Africa safe for all those who live in it.”
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The statistics reflect the following increases in the different crime categories: • A 60,6% increase in contact crimes such as murder, attempted murder, sexual offences and all categories of assault when compared to the same period last year. There were 5,760 murders during the first quarter of the year — an increase of 66,2% • A 74,1% increase in sexual crimes. The minister revealed a 72,4% increase in reported rape cases with 10,006 victims coming to the fore • A 92% increase in trio crimes like house robberies, business robberies and hijackings • A 35% increase in other serious crimes like commercial crime, shoplifting and theft National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole says that despite these numbers, police are still out in full force, fighting crime. “We are not yet losing the battle. The battle is still in progress. The stats that have been released now are operational stats, not strategic stats. What determines performance is the strategic stats. From here we’ll be going back to the drawing board and we will be coming up with the crime stats response action plan in order to respond to the current picture and I’m convinced that we’ll be able to change it.” Cele said that the SAPS is also facing
Minister of Police, Bheki Cele.
challenges, with the service impacted by Covid-19 related deaths and thousands of members contracting the virus. He added that members were also retiring from or leaving the service. However, Cele says this cannot excuse the increases in crime. “The impact of Covid-19 has been hard on the South African Police Service. The police service is bleeding members through attrition and the virus has resulted in the inability to take in new police recruits for 2020 and 2021. “The virus has also meant that scores of police stations have had to close due to contamination. The virus has infected over 38,000 members. Sadly, 821 of our colleagues have passed away due to this virus, including our Deputy National Commissioner LieutenantGeneral Sindile Mfazi, who passed away last month. With these realities which face the SAPS, complacency cannot be tolerated,” said Cele.
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INDUSTRY OPINION
Future of Work: Unscrambling the hybrid working puzzle Uncertainty has been a defining characteristic of the past 18 or so months. Now, as the move to hybrid working gathers pace, what the future of work looks like in South Africa is equally uncertain. It’s a puzzle every business needs to solve. Dr Nicola Millard, Principal Innovation Partner, BT, shares insights on making hybrid working, work.
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hile some offices have remained open at varying levels of capacity in response to the ups and downs of lockdown levels since March 2020, many of us have spent the past year working remotely. Now, as South Africa’s vaccine rollout gathers speed, the possibility of face-to-face contact, of real-life meeting rooms, of desks in a shared space, becomes increasingly viable. If you’re a business leader, you’re almost certainly asking: What does the new way of working look like? How does it function? What’s it likely to cost? “Everyone’s talking about hybrid,” says Dr Millard. “But most people who speak about hybrid mean flexible working, which is absolutely nothing new. We’ve been working flexibly for years.” “My favourite analogy around hybrid is the zedonk – half donkey and half zebra. The zedonk doesn’t spend three days
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a week as a donkey and two days as a zebra. It’s a completely different breed, all the time. And that’s what hybrid is: a completely different breed of work. It isn’t about how many days a week you are in the office – it’s all about the work, rather than where and when you do the work,” continues Dr Millard. It’s a fact that organisations the world over are coming to accept. More than 60% of business executives now believe offices will be very different postpandemic [1], as hybrid heralds a new era for work. The trouble is, ‘very different’ feels a bit vague when defining the future of your business. To get more specific about the features and challenges that characterise hybrid working, Dr Millard suggests a few key questions that leaders should ask themselves. 1. How do you ensure that ‘horrible hybrids’ aren’t created, particularly when people who are remote in meetings are ignored by people who are
physically together in a room? 2. How do you manage a two-speed company, where the office and the remote workspace operate on different timetables? 3. How do you balance overloading in the office midweek, and underloading on Mondays and Fridays? 4. What strategies should you put in place to ensure that people switch off from work when boundaries have blurred? This isn’t just a problem for home workers – our smart phones tether us back to the office, even if we leave it at the end of a day. Boundaries tend to be more blurred for home workers because they are literally living at work. 5. How do you overcome proximity bias? If people who are seen to be in the office seem to get more chance of promotion and a good appraisal, how do you ensure that ‘invisible’ work done away from the office is more visible to everyone?
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INDUSTRY OPINION
These questions present a significant conundrum for business leaders because the issues all feel interlinked. So, how can we solve this puzzle? McKinsey’s whitepaper – Strategy under uncertainty – released in 2000 when the “Millennium Bug” was causing much concern, defined four stages of uncertainty from level 1 – ‘a clear enough future’ – through to level 4 – ‘true ambiguity’, proposing a series of different strategies to apply to each scenario. The future of work has, arguably, reached the level of ‘true ambiguity’ – a scenario in which the future is virtually impossible to predict. It’s almost always transitory, as is the case with the current working scenario. “There is no magic formula here. For every boss who is saying everyone needs to be back in the office, you’ll find another saying the polar opposite,” Dr Millard suggests. “Since hybrid is a new way of structuring work, it’s not necessarily going to be a smooth ride. The best strategy is to experiment — learn what works, and what doesn’t. The pandemic has demonstrated a lot of work – particularly knowledge work – may be done beyond the four walls of an office. We need to look at harnessing that flexibility with the benefits that offices offer for socialising about work, collaborating, and creating community. What we shouldn’t do is create ‘horrible hybrids’ that mash up the worst of both worlds”. In other words: Be bold in putting forward a vision of hybrid working. One that establishes an industry standard and has the ability to guide your organisation and others forward. Digital transformation can be that standard. We’ve defined six core principles to guide digital transformation as we enter this next phase of transition: #1 It should always be people first, technology second We should think about how our employees’ needs and behaviours have changed, how we may give them a consistent digital experience across multiple geographies, and how we can encourage the adoption of new technologies. #2 The choice of platform doesn’t really matter, they’re all brilliant Choice will only grow. What matters isn’t a single platform – however good it may be – but how well you use it and how well you use multiple ones.
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#3 A great user experience is what’s required – regardless of location The future of collaboration is going to be cloud dependent. Location will matter less than having strong, flexible networks and continuous monitoring across your whole end-to-end call flow to keep experience optimised.
your people the flexibility they need to work, while always remaining secure.
#4 It’s a new kind of work(place) Whatever your feelings about remote versus office-based working, it’s undeniable that the future of working will be different to anything we’ve seen before. And that means establishing different rules to govern it.
#6 Sustainability will be a dominant motivator for hybrid working The pandemic has proven the viability of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda for both stakeholders and investors. “The truth is, as much as we require a neat and simple solution to hybrid working, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Each organisation needs to explore what the future of work looks like for them and how they are able to use digital technology to support their vision,” concludes Dr Millard.
#5 Security mustn’t take a backseat to speed or user experience When it comes to imagining hybrid working, security must be built into the design from the start. You want to give
References 1. ‘Beyond the office’ research 2. ONS study Homeworking hours, rewards and opportunities in the UK: 2011 to 2020 - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
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COVID-19 UPDATES
Covid-19 herd immunity? It’s not going to happen, so what next? Any notion that Covid-19 was going to last for just a few months was very much misplaced in 2020. Especially after it was recognised that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was largely spread through the airborne route, all indications were that it would cause repeat bouts of waves. This is what happened in the flu epidemic of 1918. By Shabir A. Madhi, Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand. From https://theconversation.com/covid-19-herd-immunityits-not-going-to-happen-so-what-next-165471
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n addition, very few scientists predicted that we would see the type of mutations that occurred over such a short period of time. This has resulted in the virus becoming both more transmissible and more capable of evading immune responses. The evolution of the virus has been so rapid that the Delta variant, which is currently dominating the world, is at least twice as transmissible as the ancestral virus that was circulating. What this means is that herd immunity is no longer a discussion the world should be having. We should begin to avoid using that term in the context of SARS-CoV-2, because it’s not going to materialise – or is unlikely to materialise
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– during our lifetime. When politicians and others speak about herd immunity, unfortunately, they are under the misconception that the current tools we’ve got are adequate to eliminate the virus. It’s not what we have at hand right now. Instead we should be talking about how to live with the virus. The tremendous success that’s materialised with Covid-19 vaccines allows us to do this, without actually reaching the herd immunity threshold. Peddling the concept of herd immunity creates a misconception that we are actually going to get to a stage where this virus is going to be eliminated. That’s unlikely to happen. It will continue
circulating. There are a number of dangers in continuing to make people believe it’s possible. Firstly, it could dent confidence in vaccines. Even if South Africa gets to its target of 67% of the population being vaccinated – as set out by the Department of Health – outbreaks of Covid-19 will continue. The result will be that people begin to doubt the benefits of being vaccinated. Also, for the now-dominant Delta variant, immunity against infection (not only Covid-19 illness) would need to be closer to 84% for the ‘herd immunity’ threshold to be reached. Secondly, failing to face up to the
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COVID-19 UPDATES
reality that herd immunity cannot be achieved will mean that countries like South Africa will continue to believe that ongoing restrictions will get them there. That will compromise the lives of people on multiple fronts — including education and livelihoods. What is herd immunity? Herd immunity is when someone infected by the virus won’t, on average, infect another person. So you reach a state where the immunity in the population against infection by the virus is such that there are too few people in the environment for sustained onward transmission to others to take place. This is because they’ve developed immunity against being infected, or at least have developed immunity to the extent where, even if they were infected, they would be able to clear the virus very quickly and wouldn’t be able to transmit it to other people. So herd immunity essentially means that you have brought about an absolute interruption in the chain of transmission of the virus in the population in the absence of other interventions that too could interrupt virus transmission such as wearing of face masks. But some changes have forced a shift in our thinking about herd immunity. It’s now viewed much more as an aspiration rather than actual goal. What’s changed Firstly, the evolution of the virus and the mutations that have occurred. One set of mutations made the virus much more transmissible or infectious. The Delta variant is such an example. Initially we thought the SARS-CoV-2 reproductive rate was between 2.5 and 4. In other words, in a fully susceptible population every one person infected would, on average, infect about two and a half to four other people. But the Delta variant is at least twofold more transmissible. That means that the reproductive rate of the Delta variant is probably closer to six, rather than three.
The second change is that the virus has shown an ability to have mutations which make it resistant to antibody neutralising activity induced by past infection from the original virus, as well as antibody responses induced by most of the current Covid-19 vaccines. The third big issue centres on the durability of protection. Our memory responses are lasting for at least six to nine months at the moment. But that doesn’t mean that they will protect us against infection from variants that are evolving, even if such memory responses do assist in attenuating the clinical course of the infection leading to less severe Covid-19. The fourth issue conspiring against us being able to reach a herd immunity threshold any time soon is the inequitable distribution of vaccine across the world, the slow uptake and the sluggish rollout. Unfortunately, this provides fertile ground for ongoing evolution of the virus. No country is going to lock its borders perpetually. This means that the entire global population needs to attain the same sort of threshold at approximately the same time. Currently, just 1% of the population of low-income countries have been vaccinated. And 27% of the global population. With the Delta variant, we would need to get close to 84% of the global population developing protection against infection (in the absence of nonpharmacological interventions) in as brief a period of time as possible. Next steps The only sustainable solution is to learn to live with the virus. This will require ensuring that we get the majority of individuals, especially adults – and particularly those at a higher risk of developing severe Covid-19 and dying – vaccinated as quickly as possible. In my view this could be achieved in South Africa with 20 million people vaccinated
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– not the 40 million target set by the government. But the 20 million would need to include 90% of people above the age of 60, and 90% of people above the age of 35 who have co-morbidities. If South Africa achieved this milestone, it could get back to a relatively normal lifestyle, even with the virus continuing to circulate and causing the occasional outbreak. It would also ensure a threshold that guaranteed its healthcare systems weren’t going to be overwhelmed, and that people were not going to die in large numbers. We are simply going to have to become comfortable with the idea that SARSCoV-2 is going to be like one of the numerous other viruses that circulate, which cause respiratory illness each day. Usually mild infections, and less often a severe disease. So people will, unfortunately, continue dying of Covid-19, but certainly not at the magnitude that’s been observed over the past 18 months. A major advance would be for Covid-19 to be no more severe than what is seen every influenza season (10,000 to 11,000 deaths) in South Africa. The UK experience is where we should be heading. That is, getting back to a relatively normal lifestyle, provided that we’ve got an adequate number of people vaccinated, and particularly people who are at higher risk of developing severe Covid-19. The UK is currently close to 85% of adults who have already received at least a single dose of the vaccine. As a result they are able to remove almost all restrictions. The UK is seeing an increase in the number of cases of the Delta variant. But they’ve seen very nominal changes when it comes to hospitalisation and deaths. The vast majority of people (97%) who still end up being hospitalised and dying of Covid-19 in the UK are those who decided not to be vaccinated.
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PERSONALITY PROFILE COMPLIANCY
The women in South Africa’s private security industry With August being Women’s Month, we spoke to some of the many inspiring women in South Africa’s private security industry: Nombulelo Irene Mini, Ashleigh Parry, Laura Moodley, Mariette du Plessis, Pumla Lucia Kave and Tiziana Hayward. Nombulelo Irene Mini, Field Manager, Stallion Security (Gqeberha)
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ombulelo entered the private security industry in 2008. “I wanted to make an impact,” she says of her career choice, adding: “Security is fundamental to our daily lives, and it needs to be conducted with diligence, resilience and agility, right across the board.” What do you love most about your job? “I love the fact that it gives me the opportunity to pursue and fulfil my dreams, and that it offers me so many opportunities.”
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Your career plans and dreams? “One day I plan to have my own security company, which will allow me to transfer skills to those in need and to leave a legacy for the upcoming generation.” Who are your mentors? Who inspires you? “People who advise me and who practice what they preach are blessings.” Your advice to women who would like to work in South Africa’s security industry? “Embrace your self-esteem and believe that women may be just as successful as men. Give it your best shot and invest in yourself and your career.”
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PERSONALITY PROFILE
Ashleigh Parry, Securitas Country President/CEO
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shleigh sent her CV (curriculum vitae) to the local security company after attending her suburb’s Residents’ Association AGM in 2014. “The head of the security company in the area gave a presentation on what their plans were for installing cameras on a fibre network and proactive patrolling. I believed wholeheartedly in what they were saying and doing, so I sent my CV to them, saying that I wanted to be a part of their plans in some way. I had a job within a week, and three months later was promoted to the position of MD!”
Who are your mentors? Who inspires you? “I have had many different mentors, in often unusual and unexpected ways. My inspiration is drawn from all women who face challenges head on, on a daily basis, who keep going in the face of adversity and discrimination and show courage that only other women will understand. Particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, I believe that women have borne a huge brunt of the responsibility, often at the sacrifice of their own careers or progress.” Your advice to women who would like to work in South Africa’s security industry? “Don’t try to be a man, be authentic. Diversity in all its forms is to be embraced and celebrated, our differences bring a richness to and a fuller comprehension of everything. The more diversity we are able to systematically build and the more confident and competent people feel in expressing their unique viewpoint and insights, the more likely we are to build a fertile soil for growth. Remember too, many clients are women. Believe in your value and support other women.”
Laura Moodley, Chief Commercial Officer, Excellerate Services
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always align with your passion, and for a long time I believed that my career was to be solely in finance, although my heart lay in the security industry. Your career plans and dreams? “My career plan has always been value-centric. I believe in the Excellerate brand and the contribution it makes to all its stakeholders. This falls into place like a puzzle piece for me, as it’s always been my aspiration to be a value-add to the brand, to the people and to myself via the inevitable growth which all of this is aimed at achieving.” What do you love about your job? “At the risk of sounding clichéd, my job is my passion. It allows me to enjoy every level and layer of what I do, from the casual chats with our team members to being faced with the challenge of a seemingly impossible task. Everything contributes to the bigger picture.” Who are your mentors? Who inspires you? “My mentor in the business is certainly Clinton Phipps, our COO. He is someone who I aim to emulate. He possesses an uncanny ability to be solutions-oriented rather than dwell on the issue at hand. His most significant talent, which I strive to emulate in myself, is his ability to empower and draw out untapped potential in others.”
Your career plans and dreams? “I would like to be part of the solution in South Africa, whatever form that may be. I hope that I may challenge industry norms and stereotypes. I dream of true equity, be it at the boardroom table or the dinner table.” What do you love about your job? “I love the sense of purpose, that in some way I am part of something that is positive and contributing to the safety and – hopefully – wellbeing of people. I work with a great team and so I am regularly filled with pride by the members of our Securitas family and how much they put into their jobs, despite the obvious hardships which many are experiencing.”
Perseverance and uncompromising dedication to the development of yourself is first and foremost.
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aura joined the industry in 2000. “My passion found me and for that I am truly grateful. In life, sometimes you are faced with a career that doesn’t
Your advice to women who would like to work in South Africa’s security industry? “I may be reproved for coming across as a feminist; however, this is universal advice that applies to all, irrespective of gender. Perseverance and uncompromising dedication to the development of yourself is first and foremost. The road to success is not paved on the back of others but rather through a bridge of support you create as you work to empower each other to reach a common goal, being the success of all, collectively.”
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PERSONALITY PROFILE COMPLIANCY
Mariette du Plessis, Group Human Resources Manager, Quatro
Effective leadership and management are about providing the tools and techniques that enable managers to organise their work and meet constraints. and I look forward to an opportunity to reinvest my knowledge as a mentor for others – like me – within this field.” What do you love about your job? “I have always had a passion for the human resources side of the business, working with employees to improve their quality of life through support and communication. One of my main goals is to develop my knowledge of human capital management and promote employee wellness programs.”
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ariette entered the security sector in 1998. After completing her studies at Pretoria Technikon, she joined a national security company in a reception/administrative position. “Those were the early days in the security industry, during which time the foundations were laid which created the industry as we know it today. As I began to gain more experience – through internal business exposure – I realised that my attention to detail, coupled with my management abilities, were well suited for a career in human resources.” Your career plans and dreams? “I would like to develop my skills and abilities, not only to perform the traditional duties of recruitment and managing employees but to be involved with developing training programmes too. I enjoy challenges and look forward to opportunities where I will be able to assume more responsibilities. Ultimately, I’d like to move into an executive role. I am very fortunate to have been surrounded by industry leaders who have been generous with their knowledge,
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Who are your mentors? Who inspires you? “Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, author and professor of business psychology at the University College London, has been a great inspiration in the field of leadership development, focusing on the difference between normal performance and top performance: how to engage it, develop it, the dark side of talent, and the future of talent. The reality is the talent pool is becoming smaller and we face a drastic decline in youth entering the market to make a career of it. I have always been intrigued by the difference between normal performance and top performance. For some people, there’s a large gap between the two, while for others, top performance is fairly similar to their normal performance. “The public sector in South Africa is facing challenges imposed by a shortage of skills, limited resource allocations and unreliable or non-existent infrastructure and adequate support structures. The demands on staff members are enormous and the management support systems are not always readily available to assist. Effective leadership and management are about providing the tools and techniques that enable managers to organise their work and meet constraints. My task is to recruit the right candidates for the right job with the right skill sets, with management systems to ensure optimal performance.”
Your advice to women who would like to work in South Africa’s security industry? “Women have made major strides towards gender equality and empowerment in the last few decades, but more still needs to be done. More women are beginning to pursue careers that were previously perceived as ‘work for men’. My advice to women interested in entering the security industry is to always strive to make their goals a reality. Don’t be set back because it appears to be a male-dominated industry, but see it more as a challenge to stand out and be who you are meant to be.”
Pumla Lucia Kave, Human Resources Director, Stallion Security
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fter studying human resources, Pumla secured employment at a cash-in-transit company. “I realised very quickly that I love HR and climbed the corporate ladder while furthering my studies.”
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PERSONALITY PROFILE
When an opportunity presents itself, grab it with both hands and be prepared to work hard. Have the willingness to learn and be open to positive criticism.
Tiziana Hayward, Group Sales and Marketing Director, Stallion Security
What do you love about your job? “Everything! My team is what makes my job great. I love that the industry presents new opportunities, new products and new solutions every so often. I meet new people every day and believe in building and maintaining solid relationships with my clients. I love that every client has unique security challenges and I love the thrill that comes from identifying a specialised solution that will improve and enhance their security operations.”
Your career plans and dreams? “With the pandemic I had to adjust my career plans – I’m now repositioning my career to stay on top of HR trends and further pursuing my studies.” What do you love about your job? “My current role is versatile, and I am exposed to many different facets of the business, but what is very close to my heart is the Education Assistance Programme. This programme doesn’t only help the employees to further their studies, but their children and grandchildren, too. Stallion is not only looking after its employees but also helping better the lives of the next generation.” Who are your mentors? Who inspires you? “Mamokgethi Phakeng, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town. In 2002 she became the first black female in South Africa to obtain a PhD in mathematics. She is the founder of a non-profit organisation that provides financial and educational support to students from townships and rural areas. She inspires women to improve their lives through education.” Your advice to women who would like to work in South Africa’s security industry? “When an opportunity presents itself, grab it with both hands and be prepared to work hard. Have the willingness to learn and be open to positive criticism. Sometimes it may not appear to be a linear path as you may encounter challenges, but if it’s moving towards working on things that really matter to you, it will eventually be most rewarding.”
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The industry is for women with a strong operational understanding and a sense of pride and willingness to excel and learn continuously.
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iziana decided to enter the security industry at the age of 35, after having tried a few different work experiences, mostly in retail. She identified the security industry as the market sector where she would achieve her goals and realise her career dreams. “Once I had entered the security industry, it didn’t take long for me to feel passionate about what security meant and I began understanding why it was so important in South Africa. I knew after a short while that I was in this for the long run.” Your career plans and dreams? “My career plan was to always be a great leader and, as a woman in a male dominated industry, I feel I’ve definitely achieved that. My dream is to leave a legacy with a company that I have now been dedicated to for 18 years.”
Who are your mentors? Who inspires you? “My mentor is my husband. Working together is no easy task and to separate work and home life is challenging but somehow we manage. He is a great mentor and even after so many years, I still learn valuable lessons from him, and I now have a clear understanding of the complexities of running a successful business. I would have to say, my greatest inspiration comes from mentoring and guiding my salespeople to eventually become even better equipped than me to excel in their jobs. When you step back and realise that you’ve developed a salesperson who is better at your job than you are, your job is done! I am the type of leader that my people aspire to be, not because they have to, but because I have played a major role in their journey, their growth and their success.” Your advice to women who would like to work in South Africa’s security industry? “It will be an experience you will never forget. It is not easy, but it may be extremely rewarding. The industry is best suited for go-getters with a keen desire to make their mark in security. It is for women with a strong operational understanding and a sense of pride and willingness to excel and learn continuously. To realise that more women are embarking on their own journey in the security industry is a milestone on its own. We see strong, independent, motivated and committed women becoming leaders in the country, which makes me proud to be a woman.”
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CYBER SECURITY
What you need to know, a guide to cybersecurity Cyberattacks are an evolving and increasing risk to all of us — organisations and individuals alike. With the number of attacks having grown significantly over the past few years, the sophistication of those threats has also increased dramatically — making us vulnerable every time we log on to our machines. By Elaine Wang, Cloud and Software Solutions Director at Rectron.
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larmingly, the average lifespan of a malware sample in 2020 lasted just 3.4 days1, meaning the speed of change has overwhelmed traditional antimalware products, making them obsolete. Businesses need to begin adopting a holistic approach to cybersecurity in the ‘new workplace’ – whether it is remote or hybrid – taking both preventative as well as disaster recovery measures into account. Cybercriminals, using a variety of techniques, cause losses in business productivity as well as reputational and revenue damage, which may be devasting to businesses, especially SMEs, in our tough economic climate. Today’s threat landscape The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the threat landscape, highlighting numerous security and privacy risks associated with remote work operations. Within 2020, 31%2 of global companies were attacked by cybercriminals at least once a day. The most common attack types were phishing attempts, DDoS attacks, and videoconferencing attacks. According to Acronis Cyberthreats Report 20203, nearly half of all IT managers struggled to instruct and secure remote workers. This forced 92% of global organisations to adopt new technologies to complete the switch to remote work. As a result, almost three quarters of global organisations saw their IT costs increase during the pandemic. Since standalone backup and cybersecurity solutions are no longer enough, organisations need new strategies and solutions if they are to stay ahead of new threats. To combat today’s cybersecurity trends, employers need a plan of attack that combines cybersecurity solutions with tried-and-true best practices.
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Preventative tips: • Employee training Around 94% of all malware and 96% of all social engineering attacks today are delivered through email, and studies4 have shown that human error plays a role in 90% of all data breaches. Therefore, one of the most effective cybersecurity strategies is to conduct regular and ongoing awareness training to ensure employees may identify and avoid risky online behaviour. • Cybersecurity tools Companies should also look to invest in a reputable security tool to prevent security incidences from occurring. A good security tool will have artificial intelligence and machine learning built in to detect and quickly respond to possible attacks. Selecting the right solution Before selecting a cybersecurity solution, it is essential to conduct a thorough evaluation to determine what you need to protect, what your risks are if your protection fails, and how attackers are most likely going to breach your current cybersecurity measures. Once you have completed asset audits and risk assessments, you should have a solid grasp of what’s on your business’s network, what needs the most protection, and how vulnerable its network is to attacks. This will assist you in your search for data security solutions by letting you know what type of protection package you will require. Always have a back-up • Back-up systems Implementing a robust backup system may help to ensure that there is no loss of data, which may be costly, both monetarily and in the loss of reputation. An increasingly popular way of backing
up important data is to use a cloudbased offering that may do this automatically. • Disaster recovery Disaster recovery refers to the plan and processes for quickly re-establishing access to applications, data, and IT resources after an outage. A disaster recovery system for business-critical applications is crucial to minimising downtime as a result of an attack and should account for all possible risks and precisely what your business requires at a minimum for operations to continue. Today, the importance of being cyberprepared and having a cyber-resilience strategy cannot be overstated. To meet the needs of organisations today, Rectron has expanded its cybersecurity and disaster recovery offering with the addition of Acronis to provide products that will improve the lives of our customers. Through this trusted partnership, Rectron continues to provide cybersecurity and disaster recovery solutions which will ensure data belonging to businesses of all sizes remain protected and if need be, is easily recovered. 1. https://www.acronis.com/en-us/blog/posts/ acronis-cyberthreats-report-2021-will-beyear-extortion 2. https://www.acronis.com/en-us/blog/posts/ acronis-cyberthreats-report-2021-will-be-yearextortion 3. https://www.acronis.com/en-us/lp/ cyberthreats-report-2020 4. https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/ understanding-security-of-the-cloud/?utm_ source=pr-media&utm_ medium=partner&utm_campaign=gl_b2bcloud-mini-report_kk0084_organic&utm_ content=link&utm_term=gl_pr-media_ organic_kk0084_link_partner_b2b-cloudmini-report
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NEWS
Bill to amend the Constitution approved T Monday, September 6, 2021
From https://www.sanews.gov.za/ south-africa/bill-amend-constitutionapproved
Dr Mathole Motsheka.
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he Ad Hoc Committee to Initiate and Introduce Legislation Amending Section 25 of the Constitution, has adopted the Constitution’s 18th Amendment Bill, which will see the expropriation of land without compensation embedded in the Constitution. Committee chairperson, Dr Mathole Motshekga, said the Bill, in its entirety, as well as the memorandum on the objects of the Bill, were endorsed by the majority of members in the committee. “There were three votes against the Bill and no abstentions,” Dr Motshekga said. The purpose of the Bill is to amend section 25 of the Constitution, so as to provide that, where land is expropriated for land reform, the amount of compensation payable may be nil. Furthermore, to clarify that nil compensation is a legitimate option for land reform, so as to address the historic wrongs caused by the arbitrary dispossession of land and in so doing, ensure equitable access to land and further empower the majority of South Africans to be productive participants in
ownership, food security and agricultural reform programmes. Dr Motshekga said that the Bill is the product of extensive public engagements, spanning the work of two Parliaments and three committees. “It is an historic day as we adopt this Constitution’s 18th Amendment Bill, which is the product of engagement by all political parties inside the committee and through bi-laterals involving political principals and parties. “I want to commend all Members because you were always alive to the character of our constitutional democracy, which is both representative and participatory. Today, we may proudly say that we are adopting a Bill which adheres to those principals,” Dr Motshekga said. He said that the committee has carefully listened to the people of South Africa, and have adopted a Bill which will be to the benefit of all citizens, irrespective of colour. The committee was expected to meet this past Wednesday to vote on the report on the Bill, after which it will be sent to the National Assembly for consideration.
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29
INDUSTRY ISSOPINION
More public order police is no easy answer for SA In the wake of the July unrest, other options are needed to ensure better handling of public violence. By David Bruce, Independent Researcher and Consultant, ISS Pretoria. From https://issafrica.org/iss-today/morepublic-order-police-is-no-easy-answer-for-south-africa?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=ISS_Today&utm_ medium=email
T
he chaotic unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last month, in which over 300 people died, resulted from a conspiracy to destabilise South Africa. Although precipitated by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma on 7 July, the plot must have been hatched well before this. Had South Africa’s intelligence system provided an adequate warning, the attacks and looting might never have become a major public order policing problem. With effective intelligence, the police could have swiftly de-escalated the situation, arresting key planners and instigators before the insurrection took hold. Public order police (POP) and other police resources might also have been deployed, in advance, to areas where they were likely to be required. Protective barriers could have been placed around possible targets. Community leaders, religious organisations, ward councillors and others might have been mobilised to discourage violence and looting. Of all the deficits in South Africa’s security system that the unrest exposed, fixing intelligence should undoubtedly be
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the government’s highest priority. But intelligence cannot always predict public disorder. The authorities need a contingency plan should intelligence prove inadequate and widespread public violence breaks out again. Calls for more public order police inevitably follow the type of crises that gripped SA in July But that may be neither possible nor desirable, given the country’s current crime context and the government’s budgetary constraints. The government has not provided figures on how many public order police and other law enforcement personnel were deployed during the unrest. Whatever the facts, the violence outstripped the police’s capacity to respond, leading to the 12 July deployment of soldiers to supplement police resources. In the aftermath of the 2012 Marikana massacre in which 44 people died – most at the hands of police – the South African Police Service (SAPS) laid out ambitious proposals to expand and equip public order policing units. These envisaged that by 2018, operational and support personnel
would more than double from 4,721 to 9,522, and the number of units would increase from 28 to 54. Public order numbers have indeed grown, albeit modestly. According to Police Minister Bheki Cele, in March 2021 the number stood at 6,324, a rise of 34% from 2014. And the number of units has expanded to 49. Despite these increases, police were still overwhelmed when responding to the recent unrest. The SAPS should develop a better auxiliary public order policing model For those who believe that South Africa should invest in more public order police, this is a most inconvenient time to do so. Faced with severe fiscal constraints, the government is cutting the budgets of many departments, including the SAPS. Since March 2014, when SAPS employed 194,852 people, personnel numbers have declined by 7%. They are set to drop by a further 10% from the current 181,344 to 162,945 in 2023/24. Of these, roughly 130,000 will be police officers, with the balance being administrative or other
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ON THEISS MARKET
support personnel. Given the country’s long-standing high violent crime rates, public and political pressure is focused on policing crime, not public violence. Data analysed by the Institute for Security Studies shows that SAPS performance has been steadily deteriorating, including when it comes to serious offences such as murder and armed robbery. Last year, the SAPS indicated that plans were still in place to increase public order police numbers to 7,903, including administrative staff. But, considering the budget cuts announced this year, it is now doubtful that funds will be allocated to hiring more personnel and paying for the additional vehicles and equipment they will require. The Defence Act requires that certain soldiers be trained and equipped to respond to public violence Ideally, the SAPS should have the capacity
model. Currently, the public order training provided to recruits is likely to be of little benefit during unrest situations. The SAPS should instead maintain a reserve capacity for providing support to public order units. Third, in the event of large-scale public violence, it should be assumed that the military will be mobilised. The implications of this must be fully understood and addressed. For example, section 20(11) of the Defence Act requires that sections of the SANDF be trained and equipped for this purpose. The military is subordinate to the police in domestic operations, and so effective lines of communication and tactical coordination must be established. The capacity to deploy the military for domestic purposes may be abused by governments with a repressive orientation. But as last July’s events showed, it may sometimes be necessary to protect South Africa’s integrity as a democratic country.
to perform its public order role effectively, including protecting the right to peaceful protest and responding to violence and crime associated with gatherings. But South Africa cannot reasonably maintain a substantial public order policing capacity on the assumption that police will have to deal with insurrection. Rather than increasing public order police personnel and units, the government should focus on three issues. First, reports indicate that personnel and resources were not used effectively to quell the July violence. The panel of experts after Marikana called for better use of public order police resources, including an improved command model for large and complex operations. It also said that operational commanders need specialised training. Better policing tactics would also help, considering the limited effectiveness of firing rubber bullets at looters. Second, the SAPS should develop a better auxiliary public order policing
INDEX
Contributors and advertisers index ENTITY
PAGE WEBSITE
AlphaCodes
16
BT 20 www.bt.com Apha Security
13
www.alpha-security.co.za
Entersekt 11 www.entersekt.com/ Excellerate Services
25
www.excellerate.co.za/
Gallagher Africa
14
https://security.gallagher.com
Infinidat 15 www.infinidat.com Institute for Security Studies
30
https://issafrica.org
International Hologram Manufacturers Association
18
https://imha.org
MySky Networks
https://myskynetworks.co.za
Networks Unlimited
17
https://networksunlimited.africa/
Peter Bagshawe
34
Quatro 26 https://quatro.co.za/security-services/ Rectron 28 www.rectron.co.za/ Security Association of South Africa
6, IBC
www.sasecurity.co.za
Securitas 25 www.securitas-rsa.co.za Secutel 13 https://secutel.co.za Stallion Security
24,26
www.stallion.co.za
TRSS 12 https://trss.co.za/ Vix Net
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13
www.vixnet.co.za
SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA AUGUST 2021
31
THE LAST NEWS WORD
The aftermath of looting in a Durban shopping mall. Photograph: Shutterstock.com.
INSURRECTION CANNOT BE TOLERATED The civil unrest or insurrection that took place between 9th and 19th July 2021 has been extensively documented in the audio-visual and print media. No purpose would be served in attempting to extensively review individual incidents other than to highlight the incidence. By Peter Bagshawe
M
y intention is look at the impact on Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng directly, the ripple effect on their economies as well as on the national economy. From my perspective, a discussion on cause and effect, relating to the unrest is probably of more value and a portion of this will obviously involve reference to the perceived political causations. President Cyril Ramaphosa initially referenced an ‘orchestrated campaign of
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public violence, destruction and sabotage’ and subsequently stated the ‘violence may indeed have its roots in the pronouncements and activities of individuals with a political purpose and in expressions of frustration and anger’ but latterly referred to events as insurrection. The Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni described the violence as economic sabotage. In a clear lack of cohesion at cabinet level then-Minister of Defence, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, stated that the military saw no signs of an
insurrection or attempted coup (in direct contradiction of the State President) but rather a counter-revolution in the form of ‘criminality and thuggery.’ Her statement was later retracted. Within the Security Cluster, there was further lack of cohesion with Minister of Police Bheki Cele and State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo at odds on whether State Security had provided intelligence reports on the impending violence and looting. Ultimately, in a recent Cabinet reshuffle Dlodlo lost her Cabinet position when
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THE LAST NEWS WORD
State Security was transferred to the Presidency. Mapisa-Nqakula was replaced by former Speaker of Parliament, Thandi Modise, as Minister of Defence while Mapisa-Nqakula was nominated by the African National Congress as the new Speaker of Parliament and duly elected to replace Modise. Initial calls for and linking of protest action to the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma via his support base may have been the initiation of a campaign and this has been linked to activity on social media. Subsequently, charges have been preferred against some individuals identified as instigators of the campaign. However, the rapid spread of violence, looting and arson was broadly criminal in nature and opportunism together with socio-economic circumstances were apparently at the root of this, rather than political motivations. From my perspective, ‘insurrection’ adequately and correctly describes the events in July given that insurrection is defined as an act, acts or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government or a violent uprising against an authority or government. The initial response to violence by the South African Police Services has been criticised as less than sufficient and, as the insurrection escalated, manpower, supplies, boots on the ground and logistics compounded the inability to control mass outbreaks of violence. Deployment of the South African Defence Force was necessary and the deployment was completed in two phases that contributed directly to the quelling of looting. Turning to the impact of events, the high profile closure of the N3 and N2 road routes between Durban, the Free State and Gauteng effectively halted the provision of trucking services and the flow of goods. The Mooi Plaza closure and burning of trucks resulted in shortages that were exacerbated by disruptions within supply chains that impacted on the availability of food, fuel and medicines, particularly in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Simultaneously, the declaration of force majeure on the Transnet rail line between Johannesburg and Durban and the closure of Durban and Richards Bay port facilities, following looting at Durban’s port facility, compounded supply line issues. Notably, the looting at the docks included the theft of almost 1,5 million rounds of ammunition which has been linked to attacks on police. This ammunition will find its way into
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illegal sectors, exacerbating the problem of armed crime. In addition, some R120 million in bank notes was stolen from ATMs and bank branches, which, if not dye stained, will reenter the economy illegally. The closure of the trucking route into Gauteng also impacted on the delivery of goods to neighbouring, landlocked countries. This is likely to have repercussions on South Africa’s ‘Gateway to Africa’ status and may well lead to alternative routes being sourced by the neighbouring states which were impacted on. The burning of trucks at Mooi Rivier has an ongoing effect on the trucking industry with smaller truckers being worst affected and in some cases losing their livelihood. As an aside, the closing of transport routes between the coast and interior was likely a planned process aimed at causing the highest economic impact and unlikely a spontaneous act on the part of those responsible.
Although these actions were sometimes of a violent nature… the benefit of the group actions include a respect for the Rule of Law being demonstrated. The South African Property Owners Association estimates property damage to malls and buildings subsequent to active looting and arson attacks and the wider impact on the South African economy at approximately R50 billion. Directly related job losses are estimated to be in the order of 150,000 jobs with some 40,000 businesses and 50,000 traders affected and stock losses estimated at R1,5 billion. A further issue is the impact on communities where malls and shopping complexes were destroyed. Developers will have to look at the merits of rebuilding the infrastructure; rebuilds and sourcing of tenants will take in the order of three to five years if the project is undertaken. In the interim, the community will have to travel further afield to shop which comes at an extra cost to those whom, in the main, can least afford it. Wide of this is the impact of informal traders, transport providers and the loss to municipalities in respect of electricity, water, rates and taxes. As a counterpoint, the community-
based actions which took place across diverse locations to protect infrastructure. Varied interest groups with disparate driving forces including private security companies, taxi drivers and taxi associations, neighbourhood watch groups, civilians armed in various manners and what authorities have referred to as vigilante groups took on aspects of law enforcement duties. This was in reaction to the absence of adequate response from the State and done to protect their businesses and wider communities from rioting and looting. Although these actions were sometimes of a violent nature and some are under investigation by the authorities, the benefit of the group actions include a respect for the Rule of Law being demonstrated. The Rule of Law has been mentioned frequently in recent articles and the criminal acts involved in the insurrection clearly show a total disregard for the law and the State’s enforcement mechanisms. This disregard will continue unless clear, decisive action takes place with the investigation of criminals and their prosecution being an imperative. The alternative is that looting will be seen as either condoned or overlooked by the State. The likely result here will be repeated incidents with likely escalation and spillover into areas previously unaffected (or adequately protected) leading to greater degrees of criminality and violence. A further concern is that younger generations, who witnessed the looting, may come to regard this as a norm, leading to a further erosion of stability and economic growth. Socio-economic circumstances undoubtedly played a major role in the looting but necessity became subsumed by greed in many instances. The looting of warehouses containing luxury and electronic goods and the destruction of factories are evidence of this as is the sale of looted property on the informal market. The aggressive enforcement of the Rule of Law and a national respect for it is an imperative the government may no longer afford to ignore. Additionally, the adequate resourcing of the legal, police, prosecuting and security services must be addressed and the functioning of these complementary portfolios requires effective governance. PETER BAGSHAWE holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the former University of Rhodesia and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Witwatersrand.
SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA AUGUST 2021
33
DIRECTORY
SECURITY ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA (SASA) ADMINISTRATION Suite 4, Blake Bester Building, 18 Mimosa Street (cnr CR Swart Road), Wilro Park, Roodepoort Suite 147, Postnet X 2, Helderkruin 1733 National Administrator: Tony Botes t: 0861 100 680 | e: tony@sasecurity.co.za c: 083 272 1373 | f: 0866 709 209 Membership, accounts & enquiries: Sharrin Naidoo t: 0861 100 680 | e: admin@sasecurity.co.za c: 083 650 4981
SASA OFFICE BEARERS
REGIONAL OFFICE BEARERS
National President: Marchél Coetzee c: 084 440 0087 e: marchelcoetzee@omegasol.com
Gauteng: Gary Tintinger c: 084 429 4245 e: gary.tintinger@cwexcellerate.com
National Chairperson: Franz Verhufen c: 082 377 0651 | e: fverhufen@thorburn.co.za
KwaZulu-Natal: Clint Phipps c: 082 498 4749 e: clint.phipps@cwexcellerate.com
National Deputy Chairperson: Louis Mkhethoni c: 082 553 7370 e: louis.mkhethoni@securitas-rsa.co.za
Western Cape: Koos van Rooyen c: 082 891 2351 | e: koos@wolfgroup.co.za
SECURITY AND RELATED ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANISATIONS PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority) Eco Park, Centurion t: +27 (0)12 003 0500/1 | Independent hotline: 0800 220 918 | e: info@psira. co.za | Director: Manabela Chauke | Chairperson: T Bopela | Vice chairperson: Z Holtzman | Council members: Advocate A Wiid | Commissioner A Dramat APPISA (Association for Professional Private Investigators SA) Bertie Meyer Crescent, Minnebron, Brakpan | e: info@appelcryn.co.za | www.appelcryn. co.za | c: +27 (0)73 371 7854 / +27 (0)72 367 8207 | Chairperson: Ken Appelcryn ASIS International Johannesburg Chapter No. 155. Box 99742, Garsfontein East 0060 | t: +27 (0)11 652 2569 | www.asis155jhb.webs.com | President/chairperson: Johan Hurter | Secretary: Chris Cray ASIS International (Chapter 203: Cape Town – South African Security Professionals) President/ chairperson: Yann A Mouret, CPP Secretary: Eva Nolle | t: +27 (0)21 785 7093 | f: +27 (0)21 785 5089 | e: info@aepn.co.za | www.asis203.org.za BAC (Business Against Crime) Box 784061, Sandton 2146 | t: +27 (0)11 883 0717 | f: +27 (0)11 883 1679 | e: info@bac.org.za CAMPROSA (Campus Protection Society of Southern Africa) President: Des Ayob | e: 27149706@nwu.ac.za Executive Secretary: Derek Huebsch | e: huebsch. derek@gmail.com | www.camprosa.co.za CISA (Cape Insurance Surveyors Association) Shahid Sonday t: +27 (0)21 402 8196 | f: +27 (0)21 419 1844 | e: shahid.sonday@saeagle.co.za | Mike Genard t: +27 (0)21 557 8414 | e: mikeg@yebo.co.za DRA (Disaster Recovery Association of Southern Africa) Box 405, Saxonwold 2132 | Chairperson: Grahame Wright | t: +27 (0)11 486 0677 | f: (011) 646 5587 | Secretary/treasurer: Charles Lourens t: +27 (0)11 639 2346 | f: +27 (0)11 834 6881 EFCMA (Electric Fencing and Components Manufacturers Association) Box 411164, Craighall 2024 | t: +27 (0)11 326 4157 | f: +27 (0)11 493 6835 | Chairperson: Cliff Cawood c: +27 (0)83 744 2159 | Deputy chairperson: John Mostert | c: +27 (0)82 444 9759 | Secretary: Andre Botha c: +27 (0)83 680 8574 ESDA (Electronic Security Distributors Association) Box 17103, Benoni West 1503 | t: (011) 845 4870 | f: +27 (0)11 845 4850 | Chairperson: Leonie Mangold | Vice chairperson: David Shapiro | www.esda.org.za ESIA (Electronic Security Industry Alliance) Box 62436, Marshalltown 2107 | t: +27 (0)11 498 7468 | f: 086 570 8837 | c: 082 773 9308 | e: info@esia.co.za | www.esia.co.za FDIA (Fire Detection Installers Association) Postnet Suite 86, Private Bag X10020, Edenvale, 1610 | t: +27 (0)72 580 7318 | f: 086 518 4376 | e: fdia@fdia. co.za | www.fdia.co.za | President/chairperson: Clive Foord | Secretary: Jolene van der Westhuizen FFETA The Fire Fighting Equipment Traders Association) Postnet Suite 86, Private Bag X10020,
Edenvale 1610 | Chairperson: Belinda van der Merwe Administration manager: Rosemary Cowan | t: +27 (0)11 455 3157 | e: rosemary@saqccfire.co.za | www.ffeta.co.za FPASA (Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa) Box 15467, Impala Park 1472 | t: +27 (0)11 397 1618 | f: +27 (0)11 397 1160 | e: library@fpasa.co.za | www.fpasa.co.za | General manager: David Poxon GFA (Gate & Fence Association) Box 1338, Jhb 2000 | t: +27 (0)11 298 9400 | f: +27 (0)11 838 1522 | Administrator: Theresa Botha HSA (Helderberg Security Association) Box 12857, N1 City Parow 7463 | t: +27 (0)21 511 5109 | f: +27 (0)21 511 5277 | e: info@command.co.za | www. command.co.za | Chairperson: Stephen van Diggele IFE (Institution of Fire Engineers (SA) Treasurer: Andrew Greig | President: Mike Webber | Administrator: Jennifer Maritz | PO Box 1033, Houghton 2041 | t: +27 (0)11 788 4329 | f: +27 (0)11 880 6286 | e: adminstaff@ife.org.za | www.ife.org.za ISA (Insurance Surveyors Association) Box 405, Saxonwold 2132 | Chairperson: Graham Wright | t: +27 (0)11 486 0677 | Vice chairperson: Alan Ventress | Secretary: Alex dos Santos LASA (Locksmiths Association of South Africa) Box 4007, Randburg 2125 | t: +27 (0)11 782 1404 | f: +27 (0)11 782 3699 | e: lasa@global.co.za | www.lasa.co.za | President/chairperson: Alan Jurrius | Secretary: Dora Ryan NaFETI (National Firearms Education and Training Institute) Box 181067, Dalbridge 4014 | Chairperson: MS Mitten | Vice chairperson: Ken Rightford | t: +27 (0)33 345 1669 | c: +27 (0)84 659 1142 NaFTA (National Firearms Training Association of SA) Box 8723, Edenglen 1613 | National chairperson: Peter Bagshawe | t: +27 (0)11 979 1200 | f: +27 (0)11 979 1816 | e: nafta@lantic.net POLSA (Policing Association of Southern Africa) t: +27 (0)12 429 6003 | f: +27 (0)12 429 6609 | Chairperson: Anusha Govender | c: +27 (0)82 655 8759 PSSPF (Private Security Sector Provident Fund) Jackson Simon c: +27 (0)72 356 6358 | e: jackson@psspfund.co.za | www.psspfund.co.za SAESI (Southern African Emergency Services Institute) Box 613, Krugersdorp 1740 | t: +27 (0)11 660 5672 | f: +27 (0)11 660 1887 | President: DN Naidoo | Secretary: SG Moolman | e:info@saesi.com SAFDA (South African Fire Development Association) | 45 Oxford Road, Forest Town, Jhb | e: info@safda.net | t: 083 402 4002 SAIA (South African Insurance Association) Box 30619, Braamfontein 2017 | Chief executive officer: Viviene Pearson | Chairperson: Lizé Lambrechts | t: +27 (0)11 726 5381 | f: +27 (0)11 726 5351 | e: info@saia.co.za
SAIDSA (South African Intruder Detection Services Association) Association House, PO Box 17103, Benoni West 1503 | t: +27 (0)11 845 4870 f: +27 (0)11 845 4850 | e: saidsa@mweb.co.za www.saidsa.co.za | Chairperson: Johan Booysen Secretary: Cheryl Ogle SAIS (South African Institute of Security) Postnet Suite 86, Private Bag X10020, Edenvale, 1610 Chairperson: Dave Dodge | Administration manager: John Baker | t: +27 (0)63 782 7642 | e: info@ instituteofsecurity.co.za | www.instituteofsecurity.co.za SAN (Security Association of Namibia) Box 1926, Windhoek, Namibia | Administrator: André van Zyl | t: +264 81 304 5623 | e: adminsan@iway.na SANSEA (South African National Security Employers’ Association) Box 62436, Marshalltown 2107 | Administrators: SIA t: +27 (0)11 498 7468 | f: 086 570 8837 | e: galen@sansea.co.za SAPFED (Southern African Polygraph Federation) President: Flip Vorster | c: +27 (0)82 455 1459 | e: info@sapfed.org | Secretary: Anrich Gouws | e: admin@sapfed.org | www.sapfed.org SAQCC FIRE (South African Qualification Certification Committee) Postnet Suite 86, Private Bag X10020, Edenvale 1610 | t: +27 (0)11 455 3157 | www.saqccfire. co.za Executive Committee: Chairperson: Duncan Boyes Vice chairperson: Tom Dreyer 1475 Committee: Chairperson: Lizl Davel Vice chairperson: John Caird D&GS Committee: Chairperson: Nichola Allan; Vice chairperson: Clive Foord General Manager: Rosemary Cowan | e: rosemary@saqccfire.co.za SARPA (South African Revenue Protection Association) Box 868, Ferndale 2160 | t: +27 (0)11 789 1384 | f: +27 (0)11 789 1385 | President: Naas du Preez | Secretariat: Mr J. Venter, Van der Walt & Co SIA (Security Industry Alliance) Box 62436, Marshalltown 2107 | t: +27 (0)11 498 7468 | Chief executive officer: Steve Conradie | www.securityalliance.co.za SKZNSA (Southern KwaZulu-Natal Security Association) t: +27 (0)39 315 7448 | f: +27 (0)39 315 7324 | Chairperson: Anton Verster c: +27 (0)82 371 0820 VESA (The Motor Vehicle Security Association of South Africa) Box 1468, Halfway House 1685 | t: (011) 315 3588/3655 | f: +27 (0)11 315 3617 | General manager: Adri Smit VIPPASA (VIP Protection Association of SA) Box 41669, Craighall 2024 | t: +27 (0)82 749 0063 | f: 086 625 1192 | e: info@vippasa.co.za | www.vippasa.co.za | Enquiries: Chris Rootman c: +27 (0)82 749 0063 | e: vippasa@protectour.co.za
* Every attempt has been made to keep this information up to date. If you would like to amend your organisation’s details, please email jackie @contactpub.co.za 34
SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA AUGUST 2021
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DRIVING COMPLIANCE in South Africa’s Private Security Industry
With a five decade legacy, SASA is the greatest advocate of industry compliance, serving as resource for its members, an educational platform for consumers of security services, and an essential link between the private security industry and government. The Security Association of South Africa (SASA) is nationally recognised by the Government, South African Police Service and all Municipalities as having members with a proven track record within the industry and a Code of Ethics by which members must abide. SASA Gold Membership promotes compliance not only to the industry role-players, but to the end-users of security services as well. Join SASA today and find out more about how we can fight the scourge of non-compliance, promoting SASA Gold Membership as an essential requirement for all security service providers, ensuring industry excellence for the private security industry.
For more information, contact the SASA Administrator on admin@sasecurity.co.za Postal Address: Suite 147, Postnet X2 Helderkruin, 1733. Tel: 0861 100 680 Fax: 086 670 9209
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The market is tough out there. What makes your business different from any other? For starters, be more accessible on the internet. Online searches are now the preferred method of finding information and contact details, so the better your online presence, the more business you will get.
BENEFITS OF LISTING YOUR BUSINESS:
• By claiming your listing, you can keep your company’s information up to date at your own convenience • Upgrade your listing online at any time to maximise your brand exposure • Improve your SEO and online presence • We provide a targeted audience for your business • See your stats – know how many people are seeing your listing • Increase traffic to your website with a link from the directory
Security
For as little as R2 400, you can get the edge over your competitors by providing indispensable information to your customers on our online directory.
Affordable advertising is just a click away.
Focus
AFRICA
BUYERS GUIDE
www.securityfocusafrica.com/buyersguide KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW | CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH PEOPLE
