Enhancing Security Standards in South Africa and Zimbabwe

In line with ICoCA’s strategic goal to promote the global adoption of higher standards across the private security industry, ICoCA visited South Africa and Zimbabwe in January and February 2025. The mission helped strengthen relationships with key stakeholders and supported national actors in improving security practices to align with international standards. This visit marked an important milestone given ICoCA’s growing presence in many African countries, where the demand for private security continues to expand alongside the continent’s  booming mining sector, driven by the increasing demand for strategic minerals. ICoCA Member and Affiliate private security companies (PSCs) play a critical role in safeguarding mining operations.

Two major events in Cape Town—the Investing in African Mining Indaba, themed “Future-Proofing Africa Mining, Today”, and the Alternative Mining Indaba, themed “Energy Transition For Who? The Critical Question of Our Times” —at which ICoCA participated, highlighted the growing intersection between mining, security and corporate accountability. The South Africa and Zimbabwe country visits reaffirmed that responsible private security is integral to addressing some of the most pressing international and regional challenges and to mitigating risks in global supply chains. By supporting regional collaboration, ICoCA aspires to build a foundation for sustainable security practices that benefit both businesses and local communities.

The Rise of Private Security in Zimbabwe’s Mining Industry

The private security sector is rapidly growing in the country, driven by the extractive sector and the cash economy, which increases demand for security at businesses and in residential areas. ICoCA’s compliance team visited Safeguard Security Zimbabwe, ICoCA’s first Affiliate in the country since 2018 and the largest security provider operating in the country. They also met with SECURICO Security Services, a female-led company that prioritises the recruitment of women in its guard force. These security companies are key to Zimbabwe’s private security sector’s development. If more companies join the Association, it could signal a transformative shift towards more accountable and responsible operations in the region.

The passing of a bill in December 2024 to provide for the appointment of a private security regulatory authority and set standards and codes of conduct through licensing, training, monitoring and inspections, marks a turning point for the regulation of the sector Zimbabwe. Given this backdrop, ICoCA met with the Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Manager, a professional body formed through a Parliamentary Act in 2023, with a mandate to improve standards across the sector. Coincidentally, calls for stronger regulation addressing possession of firearms by foreigners were made by a government spokesperson when footage of a foreign security supervisor pointing a handgun at a Zimbabwean miner went viral.

In the extractive sector, Zimbabwe has the largest known deposits of Lithium in Africa, the second-largest gold reserves per square kilometre in the world and the second-largest deposits of high-grade chromium, and a rapidly expanding mining sector. Artisanal mining has seen exponential growth, with 1.5 million people estimated to be informally employed. Influential  civil society organisations continue to investigate the impact of mineral extraction on communities and their rights. These organisations are working with networks of community leaders, especially around mines, calling companies to account for abuses when they occur and advocating for community-driven programmes. More research is still needed to understand how security is being provided across these mining concessions and the steps mining companies and cooperatives are taking to reduce associated human rights risks.

There was broad consensus amongst all those met by ICoCA on the need to embed responsible security provision into both corporate and community engagement and to explore public-private partnerships. Building on this first visit to Zimbabwe, ICoCA looks forward to exploring opportunities for collaboration with all relevant stakeholders.

Inside South Africa’s Complex Security Landscape

ICoCA’s third visit to South Africa in eight months represents a significant long-term investment for the Association. As one of the largest and most highly regulated private security markets in the world, South Africa presents a unique opportunity for ICoCA for concrete engagement and mutually beneficial cooperation with industry leaders and regulators. South Africa, one of the most securitised markets in the world, also presents significant opportunities to learn how technology is being integrated into private security operations.

During meetings in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, ICoCA engaged with various stakeholders, including the private security regulatory authority (PSiRA), the Security Association of South Africa (SASA), and private security companies interested in improving their practices. ICoCA also met with clients of PSCs from the extractive sector and beyond to discuss responsible security across supply chains and international missions from Australia, Switzerland, the UK and the EU, reaffirming their cooperation on security governance.

At the Mining Indaba, ICoCA both exhibited and presented on two panels: “A nexus approach – framing African minerals within the global security matrix” at the Intergovernmental Summit, and at a Sustainable Mining Roundtable discussion on “Responsible Sourcing: Challenges and Opportunities of Supply Chain Due Diligence”, convened by the Swiss Business Hub in Africa alongside Glencore’s Head of Sustainable Development.

Over the past few decades, South Africa’s private security sector has grown rapidly. It is estimated that there are now 3 million registered guards and approximately 17,000 private security companies in South Africa, far outnumbering the police force, which has around 180,000 officers.

In the highly competitive and low-margin security industry, it has been reported that companies often undercut each other by paying lower wages and offering fewer benefits. This can lead to poor working conditions and ill-prepared and overworked security guards. In a recent South African survey conducted by ICoCA, 35% of the security guards interviewed reported being paid less than the minimum wage, with many working in stressful conditions with limited support. Underpaid, poorly treated guards are more susceptible to corruption and collusion. This plays out around mines where private security can fall under the influence of criminal syndicates. As these criminal networks grow, tensions between local communities, artisanal miners and large companies escalate, often resulting in violent conflict. This undermines not only the security of mining operations but also the social fabric of local communities.

Sustainable Mining and Security: A Critical Intersection

The reliance on private security to fill gaps left by the retraction of public law enforcement has increased, particularly as artisanal mining communities pose and face escalating security risks. The deteriorating security situation in the Eastern DRC, and its direct impact on South African peacekeeping forces, intensified as the events took place, with private militias, mercenaries and others involved in the decades-long conflict over mineral rights. This highlights how unregulated privatisation of security, combined with rising commodity prices, risks stoking conflicts across the continent.

As the demand for minerals continues to grow, responsible security practices must be considered an integral part of mining operations. Without these practices, mining companies risk losing the trust of local communities and the social license to operate, which is essential for maintaining operational stability. By joining ICoCA and requiring their security providers to do the same, mining companies demonstrate their commitment to human rights due diligence and ethical security that respects the rights and needs of local communities. This contributes not only to greater acceptance through inclusive growth and ensures uninterrupted operations, but also to managing risks in global supply chains.

Through its work, ICoCA thus helps mining companies establish sustainable security frameworks that benefit both their operations, their downstream clients and the communities they work in, enhancing transparency and ensuring fair treatment for all stakeholders, from workers to local populations.

ICoCA’s visits to South Africa and Zimbabwe have underscored the vital role that responsible private security providers play in the evolving landscape of both the security and extractive sectors. The expanding demand for security services in these regions highlights the urgent need for robust international collaboration and effective regulatory frameworks that promote accountability, integrity and ethical practices. By supporting security companies that align with global standards and advocating for stronger regulations, ICoCA is helping to ensure that security practices are not only effective but also respect human rights and foster sustainable development. As the mining sector grows, the continued emphasis on responsible security becomes increasingly crucial. ICoCA remains committed to facilitating the creation of secure and transparent environments that benefit both businesses and the communities in which they operate, mitigating risks across global supply chains and contributing to long-term stability.