Question NW675 to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
29 March 2021 - NW675
Hinana, Mr N to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
Whether (a) her department and / or (b) any entity reporting to her makes use of private security firms; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, what is the (i) name of each firm, (ii) purpose, (iii) value and (iv) duration of each specified contract?
Reply:
No, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) does not make use of private security firms. All security officers at DIRCO Head office are employed full time by the Department. The security staff complement comprises of 88 security officers who work through a shift system that has been negotiated with organised labour though the Departmental Bargaining Chamber.
The security services at DIRCO’s three State Protocol Lounges (OR Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town International airports), are offered by Airports Company South Africa and the South African Police Service.
However, South African Missions abroad require security services, so in this case private security firms are used. Due to the limited number of personnel that DIRCO can deploy, missions rely on private security firms for security.