Taxpayers fork out millions for special police training – but graduates are jumping ship

JOHANNESBURG - The private security industry continues to benefit from millions of taxpayer funds to train members of the South African Police Services’ (SAPS) most elite policing units - who are opting to leave with crucial skills due to inadequate pay. 

High numbers of Special Task Force (STF) and National Intervention Unit (NIU) members continue to leave the force for “greener pastures,” as government cannot keep up with salary increments and danger pay. 

From jumping out of planes, trains and moving vehicles, to each STF member being qualified in scuba-diving, they are considered the cream of the crop when it comes to the country’s specialised police units. 

Both STF and NIU members sit at the highest echelons when it comes to high-calibre weapons, tactical, hostage negotiation, and counter assault training.  

And considering it costs the taxpayer R1.1 million to train one STF member, and just a little less than that to train an NIU member, the private sector is cashing in by swooping up these highly skilled members to fulfil duties as VIP protectors and bodyguards. 

Sources suggest there are less than a handful of well-known private security companies who are recruiting STF and NIU members. 

Besides private security firms, STF and NIU members are being recruited as bodyguards for taxi bosses, cigarette barons, and people allegedly involved in the controversial “construction mafia.” 

The jump from state to private has raised suspicions among police management. 

KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi previously told the media he believes there is a hidden agenda at play. 

“Something is happening that we don’t know, and it just cannot be correct that we have the elite of our service being recruited as security guards. We suspect there’s a hidden agenda for why private companies are sourcing police from the SAPS.”

Mkhwanazi, who rose through the ranks of the STF, says while national police have been tasked to investigate the matter, the root cause is evident - money. 

“Government can’t compete with private companies in terms of how well they pay salaries. The amount you earn in government is what the government can afford to pay, and is in line with the unions. The private companies are willing to pay far more to their employees. That’s why it’s so easy to convince police officers to leave the public sector for the private sector.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a former STF member said he would earn about R30,000 per month, which is nothing in comparison to what the private sector is willing to cough up for his skills - anything upward of R60,000. 

While members have been leaving the ranks of STF and NIU for years, it’s understood in recent years there has been a sudden spike in resignations. 

Eyewitness News understands the exodus of SAPS’ elite members began in Durban towards the end of 2021, when STF members started leaving in droves. 

STF has bases in Durban, Cape Town, and Pretoria. 

Former members say Durban has been the most affected by losses, followed by Pretoria and Cape Town. 

“We saw a lot of members leaving towards the end of 2021 - in just one month that year we had about 11 members leave. Thereafter, members were leaving in dribs and drabs, four one month, two another - but almost every month people are leaving. The issue of members leaving the NIU only started recently, but STF members have been leaving for years now. You can’t stay within the force when your danger pay is R400 a month - what is that?” 

TRAINING 

To apply to become a member of the STF or NIU, you must be an active serving member of the police for at least two years. 

Both STF and NIU members are subjected to rigorous months of training, pushing candidates to the brink of physical and mental collapse. 

A former NIU member, now in private security, says in the past, if no successful candidates qualified, the process would be halted and resume the following year with a new batch of applicants. 

But things have since changed. 

“In the past, the training would stop if the candidates were not up to scratch. Say out of 100 applicants, only five make it through to the final stages of training, and they also don’t qualify - that was it, no one makes it through that year. But now they have a certain number of people that must go through, so that means the standard has dropped.” 

He says the badge no longer holds any weight. 

“When I joined, the only thing I wanted was that badge; to be part of that unit knowing you qualified from training and were selected. That meant the world to me. But now, what all these guys are worried about is the money.

"Speak to any old-school member of STF or NIU and they will tell you that the job is not about the money, it’s about the passion and knowing the value of the badge you earned. Knowing that you went through all that physical, mental, and verbal abuse to come out as one of the most elite in SA.” 

Crime expert Dr Guy Lamb says the danger factor that comes with being a member of STF and NIU, coupled with a high demand for their skills causes them to be in demand.

“There is a need for the skills these individuals have, and you have a situation where they are recruited in the private sector. Often, the work conditions are better, and there is more opportunity for promotion, and the working hours are probably better.” 

He says it does place individuals at risk of being recruited into sectors that may see them get involved in organised criminal activities.