ASSOCIATION NEWS

Update from SASA

We have now passed the halfway mark in 2022 and, to date, this year has been eventful, to say the least!

From the desk of Tony Botes, SASA National Administrator.

We took a bit of a knock in membership this year, mainly because of the economy and state of the industry, as well as the country as a whole.

That said, our Mentorship Programme has brought in a significant number of new members, predominantly start-up businesses — a very satisfying initiative. We are assisting these companies with the correct processes to become registered with all the relevant bodies and we’re helping them become and remain compliant with all relevant industry legislation. A number of these new businesses have already concluded partnerships with our existing members, sharing major contracts, predominantly in the rural areas, such as in the mining sector.

Wage negotiations for 2023

Organised employers and organised labour exchanged demands at the end of March and, to date, have had 10 full-day meetings. It’s not an easy process, as Labour is demanding astronomical and unaffordable increases between 2023 and 2025, while the country and our industry are struggling under the burden of an ever-worsening economy. The parties will be meeting again in July, with four days already scheduled, and we hope that a reasonable and mutually acceptable agreement can be concluded in time for the Minister of Employment and Labour to promulgate the new Main Collective Agreement, in time for implementation, as of March 2023.

PSIRA

The Authority has introduced an on-line system for both security companies and security officers, which will hopefully bring an end to the massive queues at their offices. They have also introduced a self-assessment process for security companies, which we have been assured, will assist companies with becoming totally compliant with PSIRA legislation and regulations, and not as a tool to prosecute them. We sincerely trust that this commitment will be successful and we urge all security businesses to complete these submissions fully and honestly, as false declarations will undoubtedly result in prosecutions.

With regard to the uniform restrictions promulgated last year, SASA has had a number of unsuccessful meetings with senior PSIRA representatives with little – if any – success. The National Executive Committee then took the decision to challenge what we believe to be excessive and impractical restrictions. After extensive consultations with our attorneys, we lodged a High Court action against the Minister of Police and PSIRA, after which PSIRA’s attorneys responded, quite quickly, that they were prepared to withdraw the offending section of the legislation, in consultation with the Minister. However, we have, to date, not seen any response from the Minister’s office and we, via our legal representative, made it quite clear that PSIRA, on their own, could not take such action and that only the Minister could, by Gazette, cancel or amend the legislation. We will have to see what transpires in the weeks or months to come, but – as the papers have already been registered with the Hight Court – we are now just awaiting a trial date.

On the upside, PSIRA have identified a challenge with individual security officers being unable to ‘capture their profiles’ on the digital system and have scheduled nationwide sessions to assist them.

Bargaining Council

The growth of the NBCPSS has been slower than expected, with only about 15 percent of the security service providers (companies) having registered to date. That’s a total of 1,606 out of the more than 11,000 PSIRA registered companies in South Africa.

Those companies that are ducking and diving must understand that they will eventually be identified and will face the inevitable prosecution by the Council, with compliance orders to backpay all levies, penalties and interest imposed against them.

Furthermore, non-compliance with the statutory industry provident fund and medical insurance schemes will, when identified, result in massive compliance orders, which carry the same weight as a High Court order and – if not settled timeously – will be delivered to the Sheriff, who will serve them with a Warrant of Execution for the full amount owing and the cost of that process.

Good news is that the Pension Funds Adjudicator (PFA) is now empowered to investigate companies that have not deducted and/or paid over statutory provident fund contributions. Their determination will, likewise, have the same weight as a High Court order, with the same outcome as for the Bargaining Council claims.

The noose is tightening for criminally non-compliant companies who must and will be identified and prosecuted. To this end, please report unregistered and/or non-compliant security companies to the SASA office. We will then pass this information on to the relevant authorities, while protecting whistleblowers. Reports should include as much information (address and other contact details) and documentary evidence (quotations, invoices, payslips, etc.) as possible.

Securex

After a Covid-related break of two years, it was great to have a stand at Securex earlier this month. We enjoyed interacting with members, non-members and consumers and updating them on the critical role that SASA is playing in the country’s private security industry.

I was again privileged to have been given a speaking slot in the Seminar Theatre, where my topic was ‘How to choose a compliant security service provider — you get what you pay for!‘ We received more than 40 membership enquiries, which we’re busy processing.

International partnerships

We are pleased to confirm that, in addition to our other international partners, we are in the process of finalising an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Security Association of Zimbabwe, after which we’ll be engaging with the Botswana Security Association.

Although each country has its own specific legislation for security service providers, we also share many similar challenges. The exchange of information and advice between the various associations is therefore of great mutual benefit.

Covid-19 and monkey pox

While the Covid-19 infection rate has dropped significantly, leading us to hope that it will eventually be a thing of the past, we’ve just heard that the first case of Monkey Pox has been identified in South Africa. We urge all readers to take whatever precautions are necessary and to remain safe out there!

Benefits of SASA membership:

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 UNISA (University of South Africa)

• 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, the official journal of SASA

• A mentorship programme which is designed to guide and assist startup security companies with attaining the compliance standards required to qualify for Gold Membership

For more information about what SASA does and how it can assist 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