Monograph No 139: Private Security in Africa, Manifestation, Challenges and Regulation, edited by Sabelo Gumedze
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) is an applied policy research
institute whose mission it is to conceptualise, inform and enhance the
debate on human security in Africa in order to support policy
formulation and decision-making at every level. The ISS undertakes
independent research and, where possible, works in collaboration with
and through national, sub-regional and regional organisations. The major
research done to date by the ISS in the field of the privatisation of
security was published in 1999 in a monograph entitled Peace, profit or plunder? The privatisation of security in war-torn African societies, edited by Jakkie Cilliers and Peggy Mason (see
). Numerous developments relating to the involvement
of the private security sector in Africa have since occurred,
including the industry’s association with the much-publicised, alleged,
foiled coup plot in Equatorial-Guinea.
Under the auspices of the ISS Project on Regulation of the Private
Security Sector in Africa, this monograph represents the current debate
around the subject of the private security industry in the form of
private security companies (PSCs) and private military companies (PMCs)
operating in Africa. This monograph lays the foundation for another
forthcoming ISS monograph, which will focus on the elimination of
mercenarism (the darker side of the private security industry) in
Africa and is intended to be a feeder for the revision of the 1977
OAU/AU Convention on the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa. The
importance of this monograph is the fact that it is focussed on Africa.
This is critical for Africa because peace and security generally
remains a pipe dream for the majority of African people.
This monograph does not in any way reject the role of the private
security sector, but advocates its effective regulation and control for
the sake of peace, security and stability in Africa. It looks at the
growth of the private security sector phenomenon in Africa, considers
the need for addressing the unprecedented growth of the industry on the
continent during peace and war times, and presents different
approaches that are specific to Africa. The monograph presents domestic
level perspectives on the private security sector phenomenon in two
African countries, namely South Africa and Swaziland. In mapping the
way forward the monograph presents the Swiss Initiative on private
military and security companies.
This monograph would not have been possible without the generous
funding of the ISS Project on the Regulation of the Private Security
Sector in Africa by the International Development Research Council
(IDRC) of Canada and the United Nations University (UNU) in Japan. The
involvement of the Defence Sector Programme (DSP) staff in this
project in one way or another was a major contribution to this
monograph. I would like to thank the entire DSP staff: Len le Roux,
Martin Rupiya, Lauren Hutton, Zingi Zibonti and Amelia du Rand for
their immeasurable support in the compilation of this monograph. My
sincere appreciation goes to all the contributors, who agreed to write
on this complex yet important subject in Africa.
The various chapters resulted from well-researched papers that were
presented during a conference hosted by the ISS on the regulation of
the private security sector in Africa which was held on 19 and 20 April
2007 at the ISS conference room in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Editor
20 October 2007
