15 Jul 2015

Members of Parliament have resumed debate on the Private Security Services Bill, 2015 (No.9 of 2015) presented before Parliament for a second reading by Defence, Justice and Security Minister, Mr Shaw Kgathi.

Contributing to the on-going debate on the Bill, on Monday (July 13), Mahalapye East MP and also Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso expressed concern that the bill, as was presented, might not address some currently existing challenges in the private security services industry.

Private security guards, Ms Tshireletso said were faced with various challenges, involving issues of payments, training and uniforms.

In some instances, she said some private security companies did not; pay their employees accordingly or even paid them late, capacitate them with the relevant basic security and defence mechanisms for the level of threat they might come across in their job and provide them with appropriate uniform and equipment necessary for their job.

Therefore, she urged the minister to ensure that such issues were looked into.

Being private security guard, Ms Tshireletso stressed that required one to be appropriately trained and equipped for their own personal security and to perform the security services they were employed to do.

She said private security companies should empower their employees with the relevant skills for their jobs, adding that private security company licenses only be issued to companies that had all the necessary capacity and resources to operate such companies.

Nata/Gweta MP, Mr Polson Majaga said he supported the Bill, because it came at the right time, as security was the most important aspect of the country’s economy.

He said the establishment of a Board, which, among others, would issue private security services licenses was also a welcomed development.

The appointment of inspectors who would conduct routine inspections in those companies, Mr Majaga said was also a commendable effort, adding that it should however come out clear what their inspections entailed.

He commended the minister for the Pitsos his ministry addressed and urged him to encourage private security companies to enroll their employees for basic security services courses as this was essential for them to perform their security services well.

Gaborone-Bonnington North MP and also Leader of Opposition, Mr Duma Boko said the Constitution of Botswana granted every individual the right to defend themselves and their property, which also extended to taking the life of another human being in the protection of self and property.

That right, Mr Boko said “may be exercised either directly by you either protecting yourself or indirectly by you employing somebody else to do the protection.

“And when you seed your right to somebody who protect you, it does not matter whether that person is incorporated as a company or not.”

Therefore, he expressed concern that the Bill did not speak to that aspect and urged the minister to reflect on it.

In its definition of security services, he said the Bill also did not seem to appreciate or at least acknowledge that, in the full enjoyment of that Constitutional right, a person might engage another to guard his property without having sort and obtained any license.

That, he said also needed to be reconciled with what the Act seeks to achieve.

The second issue that Mr Boko raised, in relation to the proposed Bill, was the composition of the Board and the appointment of the inspectorate by the Minister.

He said it was not indicated in the Bill to whom the inspectors reported or were accountable to, adding that was also something that the minister needed to look at.

The composition of the Board, he said also occasioned some discomfort as well, as it seemed to focus on representatives of government and private sector.
He said the private sector was in two parts.

On one hand, he said was organised and users of the security services and on the other it was the providers- as they also formed part of the private sector.

“So, you may have a situation where you will have these representatives of the private sector actually being representatives of security companies or security service providers. There is nothing that precludes that state of affairs in the Act,” he added.

That, he said was where the over burdening of the Board with the private sector, and or representatives of the security service providers became a problem.

Another thing that was missing from the composition, he said was the need for unionisation of the employees of the industry, adding that needed to be encouraged and embraced.
He said it was also critical that such unions’ leaders or representatives sat in the Board that regulated the security services.

Mmadinare MP, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila and Shashe West MP and also Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Fidelis Molao also supported the Bill, saying it was a commendable approach that needed to be embraced and shared the same sentiments that it was long overdue. Ends