How to hire security guards in South Africa: contract a company or employ them directly
Both lawful routes run through PSIRA. What each one costs, what to check before you sign, and how to fill a post fast.
TenEight Team · 17 September 2026
If you need to hire security guards for a site, an estate, a store or an event in South Africa, you have two legal routes and one illegal one. You can contract a PSIRA-registered security company, you can become a registered security business and employ officers directly, or you can hand a uniform to someone off the street, which is a criminal offence for you and for them.
The rule that decides everything
Under the Private Security Industry Regulation Act, every person who renders a security service for reward must be registered with PSIRA, and every business that provides security officers must be registered too. That applies whether you are a shopping centre, a body corporate, a mine or a farm. The consequences of ignoring it are real: fines, criminal liability, and insurance that will not pay out after an incident because the officer on duty was not registered.
So the first question is not "who do I hire?" but "under whose registration will these officers work?"
Route 1: contract a registered security company
For most businesses this is the simpler route. The security company employs the officers, holds the registration, handles the roster, the uniforms, the provident fund and the replacement when someone is off sick. You pay a monthly rate per post.
What a contract typically costs: for a 24-hour static post covered by Grade C officers in a metro, expect a monthly rate that reflects two officers on 12-hour shifts, their wages at or above the Sectoral Determination minimum, allowances, provident fund, supervision, uniforms and the company's margin. Anyone quoting far below that is either paying officers illegally or not supplying what they promised.
Before you sign:
Check the company's PSIRA registration, not just the salesperson's word. Ask for the registration number and confirm it with PSIRA directly.
Ask which grade of officer will be on each post and that the officers themselves are registered at that grade.
Ask for the provident fund and UIF registration numbers. A company that cannot produce them is not paying its officers properly.
Read the replacement clause. How quickly do they cover a no-show, and with what grade?
Speak to two current clients with a similar site.
TenEight's security companies directory lists thousands of South African security companies by area and service, which is a fast way to build a shortlist before you make the calls.
Route 2: hire security guards directly
Large estates, retailers, mines and hospitals often prefer to employ their own officers. It gives you control over selection, training and culture, and it removes the contractor's margin. It also makes you a security service provider in PSIRA's eyes, which means:
Registering your business with PSIRA as a security service provider, with a registered responsible person.
Employing only PSIRA-registered officers, at the grade each post requires.
Paying at least the Sectoral Determination 6 minimum for the grade and area, plus overtime, night and Sunday rates.
Registering with the Private Security Sector Provident Fund and UIF.
Keeping records that survive a Department of Employment and Labour inspection.
It is more work up front and worth it above a certain size. Below roughly ten posts, a contract is usually cheaper once you count the admin.
How to hire security guards directly, step by step
Write the advert around the grade. State the PSIRA grade the post needs, the site type, the shifts, the location and the pay. Officers search by grade first, and an advert without one draws applicants you cannot legally place. Our guide to writing a security job advert covers the rest.
Advertise where registered officers already are. General job boards send you hundreds of unregistered applicants. On TenEight every job seeker records their PSIRA grade and registration on their profile, so you can post a job that states the grade and see each applicant's recorded grade and expiry before you pick up the phone. You still confirm it with PSIRA yourself, the platform shows what the officer recorded, it does not verify it.
Check the registration before the interview, not after. Ask for the certificate and confirm the number and expiry with PSIRA. It takes minutes and removes most of the bad applications.
Interview for procedure and reliability. Scenario questions (an open gate, a visitor who refuses a search, a fire) tell you more than a CV does.
Do the background checks. A criminal record check through a registered screening agency, reference calls to previous supervisors, and a check that any firearm competency is current if the post is armed.
Make a written offer that states the grade, the site, the roster, the wage and the allowances. Verbal offers cause most of the disputes that end up at the CCMA.
Timelines to plan for
Contracting a company: a week to shortlist and check, a week to negotiate, and most companies can stand up a post within days of signing. Hiring directly: allow four to six weeks for the first cohort, including PSIRA business registration if you do not have it, and two to three weeks per post after that.
Common mistakes
Hiring on price alone. The cheapest quote is usually built on underpaid officers who leave within months.
Placing a Grade D officer on a Grade C post because it was convenient. It is illegal and voids your position after an incident.
Not checking expiry dates. A registration that was valid at the interview can lapse three months into the contract.
Skipping the written contract for "temporary" officers. Temporary in security often lasts years.
Quick answers
Can I hire a security guard without PSIRA?
No. Both the officer and the business employing them must be registered with PSIRA. Unregistered guarding is a criminal offence.
How much does it cost to hire security guards in South Africa?
For a contracted 24-hour static post in a metro, the rate reflects two Grade C officers at the 2026 minimum of R7 003 a month each plus allowances, provident fund, supervision and margin. Direct employment costs the wages and statutory contributions plus your own admin.
Where do I find registered security guards?
On a platform where registration is part of the profile, such as TenEight, or through a registered security company from the directory.