The Klapmuts community recently welcomed Sinqobile Equestrian Security Services (SESS), a private security company awarded a tender from Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) to patrol the railway line in and around the town.
However, some are questioning whether its security guards are there to protect or target them.
This comes after three incidents in which the company’s personnel allegedly aggressively targeted road users a long way from the railway line where they were stationed to patrol.
According to a Klapmuts resident who was alerted to the first incident, on 28 October on 23:54, when a motorist had allegedly been pulled to the side of the road opposite the Klapmuts Hotel by two SESS vehicles.
They related how security guards had physically assaulted the man, and when his dog tried to come to his owner’s defence it was shot and killed.
The resident, who does not wish to be named for fear of victimisation, said the victim tried to open a case at Klapmuts Police Station the following day, but was denied the right do so as a result of “insufficient evidence”.
Instead, the victim opened a case at Paarl Police Station on 2 November, after which it was transferred to Klapmuts Police Station for investigation. This according to Captain Louise du Plessis, spokesperson for Paarl Police Station.
Klapmuts Police Station denied the allegations, claiming “no-one has been turned away for any criminal case,” according to police spokesperson Sergeant Madilyn Dombas, “and it is the duty of any police officer to assist whenever needed”.
She told EikestadNuus the police station is currently investigating the matter.
On 12 November SESS attempted to pull another vehicle over in Protea Road, outside Klapmuts, but the motorist apparently drove to Klamputs Police Station followed by the SESS.
After arriving there the SESS security guards drove off after being interrogated by the motorist, the resident claimed.
The last incident occurred on 4 January, when a female driver was followed by an SESS vehicle to her home on a farm outside Klapmuts.
According to the anonymous source, the driver said a bakkie tail-gaited her “with bright lights, driving very fast”.
On her arrival at home, a family member confronted the SESS security guards about why they were following the woman.
They allegedly said, “Sorry, we just wanted to make sure she got home safely,” and drove off.
According to Mary Papayya, a TFR spokesperson, SESS was awarded a “traditional contract” on 1 May 2022 and a subsequent “outcomes-based security (OBS) [contract] from 1 August 2023”.
She said the company was registered with the Private Security Industry Regulating Authority (PSiRA).
“The OBS contract awarded to SESS is a multi-pronged approach that includes security visibility, preventive measures, investigations, and community outreach programmes,” Papayya pointed out.
“The area of responsibility includes all Transnet- and TFR-owned infrastructure for the entire Cape Corridor, stretching across the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape, and Free State.
“Activities outside the TFR infrastructure are conducted as part of a larger partnership with the police, local law enforcement and community-based organisations.”
EikestadNuus reached out to an SESS employee who claimed to have no knowledge of the incidents in Klapmuts involving its security guards, and emphasised: “We [SESS] are not there to terrorise the [Klapmuts] community.”
The employee said he does not know why the security guards were deviating from their patrolling area.
A resident labelled the OBS contract awarded to SESS as “alarming”, because it is an agreement in which a service provider’s payment is dependant on the results it delivers and alleged perpetrators they targeted.
Since EikestadNuus sent its enquiries out to TFR and SESS roughly two weeks ago, no incident has been reported, and the security company’s presence seemed to have been minimised.
EikestadNuus sent follow-up questions to TFR on whether SESS still patrolled the area, but these went unanswered.
