Please find attached soundbite by Mzamo Billy MP.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal welcomes the recent SAPS Operation Buyisa compliance raid on a private security company in Durban North.
This action is an important step in enforcing firearm control laws and ensuring accountability within the private security sector, an industry that plays a critical role in community safety.
The law must be applied consistently and fairly across the entire sector.
As a member of the NCOP Select Committee on Security and Justice, I will be writing to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA), which is mandated to regulate and exercise effective control over the private security industry, calling for a province-wide compliance audit of all private security companies operating in KZN.
Such an audit must include:
- Verification of firearm licences and safe custody
- Inspection of ammunition registers
- Full compliance with PSIRA’s registration requirements
- Verification of trained and registered personnel
The private security industry is one of the largest in South Africa, and where oversight is weak, it becomes vulnerable to abuse, including:
- Illegal firearms circulation
- Unregulated operators
- Criminal syndicates exploiting regulatory gaps
A piecemeal approach will not fix these systemic risks. Highlighted by the SAPS finding 857 firearms during the raid, while the company only has a record of 815 firearms.
The DA believes that a comprehensive, province-wide compliance programme will:
- Ensure equal enforcement of the law
- Protect compliant and legitimate businesses
- Root out illegal operators
- Restore public confidence in law enforcement
We further call on SAPS and PSIRA to publicly report on the outcomes of such inspections, including non-compliance findings and enforcement actions taken.
The DA will also be submitting parliamentary questions to the Minister of Police to determine the extent of compliance monitoring in KwaZulu-Natal and to ensure accountability at a national level.
KwaZulu-Natal residents deserve a security sector that is properly regulated, transparent, and accountable.
The DA will continue to push for consistent enforcement and safer communities.