Govt launches consultative process to amend private security law

Blessings Chidakwa

Herald Reporter

GOVERNMENT has launched a broad consultative process to amend the Private Investigators and Security Guards Control Act (Chapter 27:10), a colonial-era law that has governed the country’s private security industry since 1978.

The move comes as the sector experiences rapid growth and increasing technological complexity, raising urgent calls for better regulation and oversight.

Speaking at a Stakeholder Consultative Forum in Harare yesterday, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said the outdated legislation no longer meets the demands of a modern security environment.

Minister Kazembe stated that the current legal framework, enacted during a time of limited technological development, has been overtaken by events in a globalised and increasingly digitised world.

“If there ever is a time for transforming this sector, it is now. The current Act originates from the colonial era and was enacted when there was limited technology. The industry itself has evolved so much in this globalised society,” he said.

The Private Investigators and Security Guards Control Act, which came into force on May 1, 1978, established the office of the Controller to regulate private security operators.

Minister Kazembe noted that the Controller’s office has become overwhelmed by the rapid expansion of the sector, with an estimated 40,000 to 60 000 employees and more than 4 000 registered companies, many of which are non-compliant with licensing obligations, enforcement, and oversight.

“Only 30 percent of companies comply with statutory obligations like licence renewals,” he said. “The Act does not currently provide sanctions for non-renewal, which is a serious gap.”

Minister Kazembe pointed out the increasing security threats from cybercrime, transnational syndicates, and insider involvement in cash-in-transit heists that the current Act does not adequately address.

He mentioned that some security companies have been linked to criminal activities, including organised armed robberies orchestrated by their employees.

He highlighted that the rise of new technologies such as drone surveillance, satellite tracking, and CCTV systems has added layers of complexity to the sector.

“These tools, while valuable, are often deployed without proper regulation or certification, raising potential risks to national security,” Minister Kazembe said.