‘R130m security training was waste of time': Parliament committee calls for suspension of PSiRA director and CFO
'They told us we'd be qualified for jobs in law enforcement and security, but when the programme ended, we didn't get certificates and the training providers vanished.'
This is how Roxanne Hyster, a Cape Town resident, described her time spent in a controversial employment initiative managed by the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) and funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to the tune of R130m.
She is one of 6,507 unemployed people who completed the training but never received certificates or accreditation. The UIF training project was meant to upskill unemployed individuals in the security-related field and with computer skills to improve their employability.
'It was a waste of my time. I spent two months practically playing with them,' the 35-year-old said.
Hyster remains unemployed.
On Wednesday parliament's portfolio committee on policy called for the suspension of the director and CFO of PSiRA after revelations of irregularities and possible fraud involving the R130m project.
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a day ago
- TimesLIVE
‘R130m security training was waste of time': Parliament committee calls for suspension of PSiRA director and CFO
'They told us we'd be qualified for jobs in law enforcement and security, but when the programme ended, we didn't get certificates and the training providers vanished.' This is how Roxanne Hyster, a Cape Town resident, described her time spent in a controversial employment initiative managed by the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) and funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to the tune of R130m. She is one of 6,507 unemployed people who completed the training but never received certificates or accreditation. The UIF training project was meant to upskill unemployed individuals in the security-related field and with computer skills to improve their employability. 'It was a waste of my time. I spent two months practically playing with them,' the 35-year-old said. Hyster remains unemployed. On Wednesday parliament's portfolio committee on policy called for the suspension of the director and CFO of PSiRA after revelations of irregularities and possible fraud involving the R130m project.
IOL News
3 days ago
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Portfolio Committee to interrogate private security regulator over procurement allegations
Portfolio Committee set to hold PSIRA accountable for alleged procurement fraud Image: File The Portfolio Committee on Police is set to engage with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) in the wake of serious allegations surrounding impropriety and fraud linked to the procurement process of PSiRA's knowledge management system (KMS). These allegations suggest potential misconduct involving senior officials within the authority, raising concerns over the integrity of public procurement processes. The committee has highlighted the importance of this meeting, viewing it as a critical step in ensuring transparency and integrity in an industry that plays a vital role in public safety. PSiRA, which oversees a multibillion-rand private security sector, is under scrutiny not just for its financial practices, but also for its operational transparency. Any negligence in ethical standards or unlawful practices within the regulatory body could have far-reaching implications, undermining the safety delivered by the private security sector and eroding the confidence of the citizens it aims to protect. The allegations specifically point to the manipulation of the KMS contract, leading to the apparent failure of internal safeguards that are designed to comply with public finance legislation. Such a lapse raises urgent questions about the governance and oversight mechanisms currently in place at PSiRA. In its oversight role, the committee is firmly committed to ensuring that accountability measures are enforced. The engagement with PSiRA represents a vital opportunity for the authority to address these serious claims and reaffirm its commitment to ethical governance. IOL
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Labour unions demand action against security companies for failing to pay employee benefits
Members of various labour unions marched in Pietermaritzburg to the provincial legislature to demand that the provincial government blacklist security companies that are not contributing to their employees' benefits despite deducting from salaries. Image: Bongani Hans KwaZulu-Natal government-contracted security companies have been accused of not contributing to their employees' medical aid, provident funds, and Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) despite deducting from their salaries for that purpose. A group of labour unions, including the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), marched to the provincial legislature on Tuesday demanding the provincial government to blacklist 41 companies alleged to be shortchanging their employees. The Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) was also aware of such illegal practice. 'We refer such complaints to the National Bargaining Council of the Private Security Sector (NBCPSS) for investigations and possibly recouping such monies. 'A lot of them (companies) claim to have registered with the provident fund and UIF, but do not pay it (employees' deductions) over to such institutions, but such businesses are taken to task by NBCPSS and PSiRA,' said PSiRA spokesperson Bonang Kleinbooi. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ During the protest march, five unions that were affiliated with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) handed a memorandum to the provincial legislature for Premier Thami Ntuli's attention. Ntuli's spokesperson, Bongani Gina, commended the unions for providing the government with a list of transgressing companies that were contracted by various departments. He said the government would work with the NBCPSS in investigating the matter. 'This matter requires a detailed assessment of each contract. 'The Office of the Premier assures the unions and the public that this matter will receive the attention it deserves, and we look forward to working towards a resolution that protects the rights and welfare of security guards,' said Gina. The unions said the 41 companies were among more than 1,500 others in the province that were breaching the NBCPSS collective agreement. 'Fraudulent deductions affect about 90,000 active security officers in KwaZulu-Natal, depriving them of their rightful benefits, such as health insurance and a provident fund, because of these dishonest and irregular and fraudulent deductions,' read the memorandum. 'They alleged that the security guards, who were mostly poorly paid, would lose R15.5 million in medical cover, R65.9 million of provident fund, and over R13 million of UIF per month to 'these unscrupulous and corrupt security companies'. 'This has a negative impact on security officers when they retire or have their contracts terminated,' said the unions. According to the NBCPSS's Main Collective Agreement, which is governed by the Labour Relations Act (LRA), security companies should be registered with the Private Security Sector Fund (PSSPF) and NBCPSS Health Insurance and also pay basic salaries, including allowances, overtime, and levies. 'This grand theft, fraud, and exploitation of security officers is not only a general disregard of the law but a major risk to the reputation of the provincial government,' unions said. They called on Ntuli to ensure that the government departments were not participating in the exploitation of security officers. 'As the custodian of the provincial purse, the premier should be the first to always remember his obligations in terms of the LRA and adopt measures to promote, protect, and fulfil workers' rights as enshrined in the Main Collective Agreement.' South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) secretary Nothemba Dlamini said some security guards would not receive their salaries for up to three months. South African National Security Employers Association (SANSEA) secretary Steve Condadie stated that some companies that are affiliated with his association were also victims of the government department's delay in paying for services. But he stressed that companies that were not transferring deductions to the relevant entities were acting illegally. 'One or two companies that are affiliated with us have said they were not involved in failing to transfer the deductions. 'But they said the provincial government was delaying in paying for the services they rendered on time, with one of them saying it has not been paid since December last year,' said Condadie.
