Security guards are the most visible part of a security plan, and the easiest to buy badly. A good guard is a trained, supervised and properly paid person who follows written instructions, not just someone in a jacket at the gate. Tell us where the post is, the hours and whether the officer should be armed, and PSIRA-registered guarding companies in your area quote you directly. It is free, you compare the proposals and there is no obligation to sign anything.
Posts, shifts and the roster behind them
You buy guarding by the post, and one post is one position covered for one shift. A gate covered from 18:00 to 06:00 is one 12-hour post. Cover it 24 hours a day and it is two posts, but you will not get two guards. Because of days off, leave and sick days, one 24-hour post usually needs about four to five guards on the company's roster. Ask the company to show you the roster for your site, not only the headline price.
Day posts suit access control and visitors. Night posts suit patrolling the buildings, yard and fence line.
PSIRA grades and armed or unarmed
Guards are registered with PSIRA in grades E to A. Entry levels E and D suit simple, low-risk posts, grade C is the usual level for a guard at a gate or building, and grades B and A supervise and manage. Ask for the PSIRA number and grade of each guard on your site and confirm them with PSIRA.
An unarmed guard observes, reports, controls access and calls for help. An armed guard needs a firearm licence arrangement and proof of competency under the Firearms Control Act, and costs more. Armed posts make sense for cash handling, stock yards or remote sites. For most homes and shops, an unarmed guard backed by armed response is enough.
Site instructions, the occurrence book and supervision
Good guarding runs on paper. Before the first shift, the company should write site instructions covering who may enter, how deliveries are logged, what to do in an emergency and who to phone at night. Every event goes into the occurrence book with the time, and you should be able to read it whenever you visit.
- Supervisor visits at random hours, recorded in the book.
- Checkpoint tags or a guard tour system to prove rounds were walked.
- A named relief guard when someone is on leave, never an empty post.
- A monthly report or app for you.
Cheap rates and contract terms
A rate far below what the sectoral determination for private security allows usually hides something: underpaid guards who leave quickly, no relief, no supervision or uniforms that never get replaced. A company that charges a fair rate can afford to retain the same people on your post, and guards who know your tenants and delivery drivers are worth more than a rotating face. See security prices for rough figures.
Read the contract for the notice period, the minimum term, how price increases are handled each year and what happens if a guard fails to arrive. Check who supplies the radio, torch and guardhouse.
What to include in your request
- The site address and where the post stands
- Days and hours each post must be covered
- Armed or unarmed, and the grade wanted
- Duties such as access control or rounds
- Contract length and a start date
Security Guards for different sites
- Homeowners and families: a night guard at the gate or a guard shared between neighbours in a street
- Estates, complexes and body corporates: guards at the gatehouse, visitor checks and a roving guard inside the estate
- Offices, shops and retail centres: a guard at the entrance in trading hours and one on site after closing
- Factories, warehouses and yards: gate guards searching trucks and night guards walking the yard and fence
- Building sites and contractors: night and weekend guards at the gate, controlling materials and visitors
- Farms and smallholdings: a guard at the farmyard and sheds at night, often with a radio to neighbours
- Events, venues, hotels and lodges: guards on entrances and parking, with extra staff on busy evenings
- Schools, clinics and churches: a guard at the school or clinic gate in opening hours and at night
Frequently asked questions
How many guards do I need for 24 hours?
What do security guards do on a site?
Should my guards be armed?
Can I swap guards if I am unhappy?
Security Guards by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg