We’re not muscling in, says new security group accused of mafia tactics

The recently launched Black Independent Private Security Association (Bipsa) wants small and medium-size companies to get their share of the pie.

Threats, bullying and mafia-style tactics. 

These are some of the allegations levelled against a new security association, which says it is working in the interests of small and medium-sized black-owned security companies. 

The recently established Black Independent Private Security Association (Bipsa) has come under fire from rival private security companies, who say the organisation is intimidating business owners into giving them a portion of their contracts. 

However, Bipsa - which was formed in September last year and has been compared with the controversial Delangokubona SA Business Forum - has denied the accusations. 

A private security owner in KwaZulu-Natal, who did not want to be identified, told Times Select that dozens of Bipsa members allegedly harassed his staff at a mall where he had secured a contact to provide security services. 

“They are threatening owners of security companies. Two weeks ago, about 50 members from Bipsa came to the mall we were working at. They spoke to the management and asked why our company was employed there and said they wanted a portion of the work,” he said. 

The business owner said while he did not engage with anyone from the organisation, they told his senior manager that his security company shouldn't be getting work in the area.

Bipsa national secretary Lindokuhle Madlala rubbished said his association was attempting to muscle its way into getting work in the industry. 

He said the association - which he claimed represents the interests of more than 120 small and medium-sized black-owned security companies - simply wanted to sit down with the big role players to discuss how they could help to develop smaller security companies. 

“This should not be viewed as a threat to sites of operations at malls or complexes. Our agenda and values are clear: all we want to engage on is local participation. The government has made it clear that [bigger] companies should develop other small companies. That’s all we’re asking for,” said Madlala.

“Government is clear on enterprise development, but we don’t see it happening. Let’s sit around the table and have a clear discussion about how we can go about implementing the enterprise development. All the companies that are awarded the big security contracts have a national footprint, so all we are saying is let’s sit down and have a discussion about it.” 

A 2011 report by the Development Bank of Southern Africa noted that enterprise development is an inexpensive way to implement BBBEE, a key factor in reducing SA’s dismal unemployment rate of 29.1%. 

The report highlighted that it isn’t that companies and organisations are not interested in enterprise development, but the problem is few understand it. 

“Many companies are not sure how to integrate enterprise development into their transformation strategy,” it said. 

Madlala said Bipsa has been communicating with the government and members from the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) in KwaZulu-Natal. 

He declined to reveal which government department the organisation has been engaging with. 

PSiRA's head of law enforcement, advocate Linda Mbana, told Times Select they were aware of Bipsa but had not engaged with the association at a national level. 

She said while none of their members had reported any threats or harassment by Bipsa, the authority urged companies to lodge criminal cases with the police and inform them should they face intimidation. 

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