South Africa’s ‘expertise in security’ attracted Libyan group for training

South Africa was selected as the ideal location for the military training of 95 Libyans because its security industry offers courses that meet global standards at competitive prices — and its porous borders offer easy access.   

This was the view of security experts and among the facts that emerged during a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting on home affairs on Tuesday. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber told MPs that the Libyan incident was a symptom of a “systemic crisis” in his department.

Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira) spokesperson Bonang Kleinbooi told the Mail & Guardian this week that its investigation into the registered security company, Milites Dei Security Services (MDSS), which it alleged had unlawfully provided military training to the Libyans is ongoing.

Kleinbooi said the MDSS had until Thursday to provide its right of reply based on the notice of suspension issued last week by Psira.  

At a media briefing on 7 August, Psira chief executive Manubela Chauke alleged that one of the two training camps in Mpumalanga was not accredited by the authority and that the MDSS was running programmes that included physical activities with military-style structures and that some training was adopted from other countries. 

The MDSS, which referred the Mail & Guardian to its attorney, Martin Hood, has denied any wrongdoing.

“What I would like you to emphasise, because this is of relevance to all security service providers, is that Psira as a regulator is given immense powers by its enabling legislation but does not know how to exercise [it] in an administratively fair manner,” Hood said.

“Manubela Chauke convened a press conference where he announced the suspension of my client, when my client had not formally been advised of the allegations against it. These allegations were only given to my client the next day, and they were then given seven days to respond,” he said.

Hood said the MDSS had cooperated with Psira and law enforcement agencies, and had already responded to the authority.

“Psira’s allegations against my client are to a great extent a regurgitation of certain parts of the Psira Act, replete with punctuation and grammar errors, [and are] unsubstantiated by any factual allegations. It is also significant  that the charges against the [95] Libyans were withdrawn due to a lack of evidence,” Hood said.

Psira said that whether the MDSS could take corrective action to retain its accreditation would be “dependent on the outcome of the internal investigations”, Kleinbooi said.

Willem Els, a training coordinator on terrorism and explosives at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said the country was viewed as attractive not only because of the high level of training offered by the private security industry at an affordable price, but also because it was not difficult to illegally enter the country.

“South Africa, because of our history and because of the dynamics of our security industry, is one of the most vibrant in the world. It makes us lucrative. South Africa’s got a lot of expertise because of the crime situation, and the specific training that is necessary,” he said.

“If you want to come in illegally, because of corruption it’s easy. People can be bought. I still have a lot of questions about the Libyans.”

He said that 100 Libyans had initially arrived on student visas but five were sent home because of ill-discipline.

“It’s unconfirmed, but apparently all of the visas were approved in one day. I don’t [know] a home affairs official that is really that eager to work.” 

Els said anyone wanting to undergo training in the country would have had to prove details of where they would stay and where they would study, and the home affairs official would have had to verify this.

“Was it just an oversight? Did the official not do his or her work or did money change hands? We do not know,” he said.

During the parliamentary committee meeting, Schreiber said the Libyan matter and others like it were “not isolated but symptoms of a systemic crisis that threatens the national security interests” of the country. He said the department urgently needs to digitise its home affairs processes. “Systems are vulnerable to fraud, corruption and discretion because they are outdated, antiquated, paper-based, manual and therefore open to subversion.” 

He said the visas issued to the Libyans were handwritten, making them easily forgeable.

Home affairs director general Tommy Makhode said a department of international relations and cooperation (official in Tunisia had issued the visas while systems were offline.

A preliminary investigation found irregularities, including that the application forms were outdated and non-compliant with immigration regulations. There was no indication on some forms that the applications were for study visas and other critical information was missing.

Psira said the security industry in South Africa has grown rapidly, with the number of registered companies increasing by 86% over the past seven years to reach 17 224, while the number of registered security officers is now 2 767 381. 

But of the 2.7 million officers, which includes everyone — from security guards and armed response officers to locksmiths — registered with Psira, only 608 898 are active.

TCG Digital Forensics security expert Craig Pedersen attributed the growth in the industry to factors including business expansion, increased risk and concern that the police service is not able to provide the level of security required. 

Pedersen said he believed “location, cost and the accessibility of top class trainers” were among the reasons the Libyan group had come to South Africa.

“The same thing is seen in Bulgaria and areas of Eastern Europe where former combat officers provide military level training to the private sector. There’s an insatiable appetite in the market for military level training by civilians, security staff and those wanting to work as close protection details,” he said.

“It has to be said that just because a military veteran is providing the training doesn’t mean it’s straight out of the military curriculum. Training is often condensed and presented in a private security context to make it saleable.”

When asked about Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s view on the role of the private security industry, his spokesperson, Kamogelo Mogotsi, said: “The fight against crime requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. We welcome the role played by private security companies regulated by Psira as we work together to keep South Africans safe.” 

She was “not particularly certain as to why the Libyans chose South Africa”.