The newly formed Security Personnel Party of South Africa (SPPSA) is hopeful it will gain representation in the City of Tshwane come the November 4th local government elections.
The party on Friday marched on the city demanding among others improved conditions of employment for security guards and better service delivery for the capital’s black communities. Most importantly though, said the party, the demonstration, which saw hundreds in branded T-shirts march through the streets of Pretoria and submitting a memorandum of demands at Tshwane House, was aimed at announcing itself as a contender ahead of much anticipated poll.
” We know they may not come to receive our memorandum because they are arrogant. When they are on TV they claim to love us but they don’t. We want them to know that when they are in there they must be busy polishing our seats because we are coming,” said party leader and mayoral candidate Sello Mashula.
The private security industry in South Africa employs more than 600 000 people and its their neglect as well as exploitation that Mashula said led to the formation of SPPSA.
” The political parties are there in Council, do they talk about us? NO they don’t. All they do is make deals. We have the EFF in there, we have the deputy mayor who is the ANC regional chairperson who owns a security company, he’s a security man himself but he’s not fighting for the security officers who work there. You have the Freedom Front Plus and the DA and there’s the mayor whom we are still waiting to hear from her who paid for her swimming pool, if that contractor doesn’t do business with Tshwane. All she knows is to go to the townships to close black businesses.They all don’t care about us,” said Mashula.
” When you have political leadership that doesn’t care and doesn’t listen it leaves the masses frustrated and they end up forming something of their own to represent them and that’s where we are,” he said.
While SPPSA members were gathering preparing to march inside the city, mayor Nasiphi Moya was announcing the introduction of an online registration and compliance portal for informal traders whom she said had to abide by bylaws to operate in the capital. Moya denied the allegation that the city is displacing black entrepreneurs saying its all about lawful trading.
Mashula said SPPSA was formed in January 2026 and is only contesting the elections in Tshwane where it is confident it can win seats and build on the success.
“We are contesting here in Tshwane only and we think we will do well then we can look at other places in future. After fixing Tshwane we are going for Gauteng province in the next national elections, not South Africa Gauteng. We don’t want to be all over the place and also we have limited resources,” said Mashula.
He singled out the erstwhile right-leaning DA-led coalition government as having set back by deliberately depriving them of services.
“The African child has suffered enough. When the DA took over black townships started deteriorating, people littering everywhere and no one cleaning. We want to serve our communities, he said.
SPPSA also proposed a different way of managing security contracts in which the municipality would pay salaries directly while giving the rest to the contracted company. The party believes this will help ensure that security officers are paid no less than the minimum wage.