Civil Society South Africa (CSSA) today issued a direct challenge to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) following its appearance before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police last week.
What emerged from the engagement is deeply concerning: a regulatory body plagued by internal instability, governance failures, and an apparent inability to execute its own mandate effectively.
CSSA rejects, in the strongest terms, any attempt by PSIRA to tighten its control over South Africa’s private security sector under these conditions.
“A regulator that cannot govern itself has no business trying to control an industry that is actively keeping South Africans safe,” says Reece Clark, national spokesperson for Civil Society South Africa.
The private security sector is not a support structure. It is the frontline of safety in South Africa. Every day, security companies and law-abiding firearm owners step in where the state has failed, protecting families, businesses, and communities in an environment where violent crime remains a constant threat.
At the same time, the South African Police Service continues to battle corruption, resource constraints, and declining public trust. The practical reality is clear: millions of South Africans rely on private security as their primary line of defence.
Against this backdrop, CSSA warns that regulatory overreach from a dysfunctional authority does not enhance safety. It actively undermines it.
“We are seeing a dangerous pattern where those who are actually providing protection are placed under increasing pressure, while those responsible for oversight cannot demonstrate basic accountability,” Clark adds.
CSSA maintains that the priority must be to strengthen the private security sector, not restrict it.
This includes recognising its critical role in national safety, ensuring that regulation is competent and consistent, and preventing policy decisions that weaken the ability of security providers to respond effectively to crime.
CSSA further states that PSIRA must urgently get its own house in order. Its governance failures must be addressed, and its operational credibility restored before it attempts to expand its regulatory reach.
At the same time, PSIRA must refrain from implementing harmful or excessive regulations that will leave South Africans more vulnerable to crime by weakening those who are actively protecting them.
South Africa’s safety reality has already shifted. The responsibility to protect lives and property now rests heavily on private security companies and responsible firearm owners.
Any attempt to erode that capacity, particularly by a regulator that is itself under scrutiny, is unacceptable.
CSSA calls on Parliament to urgently address PSIRA’s internal failures before allowing any expansion of its authority.
“South Africans cannot afford to have their last line of defence compromised by regulatory dysfunction,” Clark concludes.
*Soundbite:* https://civilsocietysouthafrica.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Failing-regulator-has-no-mandate-to-weaken-South-Africas-private-security-frontline_Eng.mp3
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