Thato Mgoma
Tuesday, 23 January 2024, the Northern Cape Provincial government launched the first phase of insourcing security guards into government departments in the province.
The launch was attended by Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, Executive Mayor of Sol Plaatjie, Kagisho Sonyoni, MEC responsible for Transport, Safety, and Liaison, Nomandla Bloem and her counterparts.
The first cohort of 150 security officers has already been appointed; they were spotted with their brand-new uniforms at the launch. Like any government employee, security officers will qualify for benefits and a better salary.
The purpose of insourcing is to elevate the livelihoods of security officers, give them better working conditions and restore their dignity.
“Next month, we will advertise 150 posts for security officers, this will continue until we reach our target, of 6000 security officers, over the period of three years. Government will no longer use the services of private security companies”, said the Premier.
The security personnel were encouraged to see themselves as part of the bigger objective and function of the different departments. They also received advice on how to conduct themselves in their workplaces. “I expect people to receive motherly and fatherly reception from the forefront of the departments,” said Saul.
Saul also spoke against nepotism and said the posts must not be given to family and friends but to deserving security personnel. He also shared how he got the inspiration for the uniform’s design while on a trip and immediately sent a picture to a colleague. Saul jokingly said that a security officer must look like a security officer, not a scholar.
Security officers showed gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity as their lives would be changed for the better.
The launch ended with an induction for the in-sourced, where they were trained on Batho-Pele principles, information management, and all other relevant matters related to security.
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