Aravind Kejriwal criticized fuel pricing, stating that the Central government allows oil companies to make illegal profits.
Aravind Kejriwal criticized fuel pricing, stating that the Central government allows oil companies to make illegal profits.
The private security sector in South Africa has become one of the country's largest employers. Annually, businesses and households spend almost 87 billion rand on security services, video surveillance, armed response, and investigations, providing employment for about 383,000 people.
According to the latest industrial services report from Statistics South Africa, the investigation and security industry employed 382,670 people in 2024, making it the largest employer in the business services sector. This industry accounted for 18.9% of sector employment and showed a growth of 23% compared to 311,100 employees in 2020, which is the most significant increase among all surveyed industries.
Private security companies conduct patrols in residential areas, shopping centers, office parks, schools, hospitals, mines, and factories. Other companies provide armed response, electronic surveillance, cash transportation, and specialized investigation services.
The main consumers of these services are businesses, which spent 66.3 billion rand on investigation and security services in 2024. Households contributed 11.6 billion rand, while government institutions and public bodies spent just over 7 billion rand.
Security and guard services generate the highest revenue, bringing in 34.8 billion rand, accounting for 43% of the total security revenue. Monitoring and surveillance services also made a significant contribution (17.9 billion rand), as did armed response and mobile patrolling (14.3 billion rand), cash transport operations (14.4 billion rand), and access control services (7.6 billion rand).
Despite some crime categories improving—for example, apartment burglaries in residences decreased by 8.7% year-on-year, and robberies in dwellings decreased by 18.3%—the demand for private security remains high. A Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey by Statistics South Africa showed that home invasion remains the most common crime in households, and many crimes are never reported to the police, which distorts official statistics.
The industry's revenue grew to nearly 87 billion rand in 2024, which is 29% higher than the 67.6 billion rand recorded in 2020.
Although the industry is the largest employer in the business services sector, it contributes only 4.7% of the total business services revenue, while its share of employment is 18.9%. This highlights the labor-intensive nature of private security. The average annual salary in the industry was 110,834 rand in 2024, less than half of the sector average of 241,722 rand.
Most workers are full-time employees (379,483 out of 382,670), with the vast majority being male (287,357 versus 95,313 women). Large companies employ 178,378 people, but small, medium, and micro-enterprises provide over 204,000 jobs.
As of July 1, 2026, there were 596,900 enterprises and organizations operating in Uzbekistan, according to data from the National Statistical Committee. Small enterprises and microfirms accounted for 435,400 units, which is equivalent to 72.9% of the total, excluding farms and dehqan farms.
The number of active enterprises showed a growth of 7.2% compared to the same period last year, increasing from 556,900 on July 1, 2025. This increase brings the total figure closer to the level of 680,400 enterprises recorded in 2022, after declining figures in 2023 and 2024.
The highest concentration of operating enterprises is observed in Tashkent region, where 113,600 facilities are located, accounting for 19.0% of the total. This is followed by the Tashkent region with a share of 9.4%, Samarkand region with 9.2%, Fergana region with 8.5%, and Kashkadarya region with 7.7%.
By industry affiliation, trade leads the market with 162,900 enterprises, accounting for 27.3% of the market. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing are in second place with a share of 21.9%, while industry accounts for 10.6%. These three sectors together account for more than 59.8% of all operating enterprises.
Among limited liability commercial enterprises, 440,100 active companies dominate, of which 351,600, or 79.9%, are limited liability partnerships. Private enterprises make up 10.7%, family enterprises 8.5%, and joint-stock companies only 0.1%.
The number of enterprises with foreign investments reached 20,502 as of July 1, 2026, representing an increase of 3,817 units or 22.9% over the year. This amount includes 15,891 foreign enterprises and 4,611 joint ventures. The largest growth was recorded in trade, which grew from 6,038 to 7,289 units; in industry—from 3,450 to 4,031; and in construction—from 1,256 to 1,689. Over the past five years, the total number of enterprises with foreign capital has increased by 1.4 times, and the share of fully foreign enterprises in this group has risen from 56.7% to 77.5%.
Tashkent is the location of most enterprises with foreign investments, accounting for 62.5% of them. Among the regions, the Tashkent region leads with 13.8%, followed by the Samarkand region with 3.6% and the Fergana region with 3.2%. By country of origin of capital, China ranks first with 6,060 enterprises, making up 29.6% of all businesses with foreign participation. Russia follows with 16.8%, Turkey with 11.2%, Kazakhstan with 6.4%, South Korea with 3.5%, and Afghanistan with 3.3%.
The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has faced growing public scrutiny for its failure to properly implement vital reforms proposed by the Mpati Commission. This situation has exposed the corporation's inability to adopt necessary changes amid recent board crises.
The Public Service Association (PSA) demanded that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana provide a public report on the progress of implementing the Mpati Commission's recommendations within the organization. Previously, Godongwana had asserted that all recommendations were fully met and past operational and ethical shortcomings had been rectified.
These demands arose following the departure of Matimba Justice Shiburi, who represented the PSA on the board. His exit followed the resignations of non-executive directors Thabi Nkosi and Nosiphiwo Balfour. These departures occurred amidst a governance crisis at PIC, triggered by the preliminary suspension of CEO Patrick Dlamini and subsequent intervention by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), which launched an investigation into PIC due to rising concerns over transparency, leadership stability, and governance.
The PIC board suspended Dlamini over controversial R500 million payments related to the Lanseria airport, as well as for conducting a forensic audit without board approval. The Chief Financial Officer, Batandwa Damayi, has been appointed as interim CEO. The suspension followed an anonymous tip accusing Dlamini of unethical conduct and management failures. This happened immediately after internal conflict within the National Treasury.
Earlier, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana insisted on a formal internal audit review based on processes rather than immediate suspension. However, the PIC board, led by Deputy Minister of Finance David Masondo, bypassed this requirement and proceeded with the suspension anyway, revealing significant political division. The PSA argues that Shiburi's recent resignation points to deeper systemic governance issues requiring urgent intervention to restore confidence in PIC's strategic direction and oversight.
The union emphasized that the current instability raises a fundamental question about why key Mpati Commission recommendations have not been fully implemented. The Commission proposed strengthening governance, increasing transparency, depoliticizing board appointments, tightening investment oversight, and ensuring PIC acts solely in the interests of clients and beneficiaries. The PSA calls on the Finance Minister to publicly explain the status of these recommendations, as civil servants' pension savings are held by PIC through the Public Service Pension Fund.
Key proposals from the Mpati Commission, including PIC governance reforms and the appointment of an independent chairperson, have yet to be realized. Furthermore, proposals for establishing an independent Integrity Unit and conducting nationwide lifestyle audits remain unfulfilled.
Masondo also uncovered structural disagreements and governance failures within the state asset management company, learning that the board had not been informed of the FSCA's request regarding an anonymous whistleblower. He disclosed this during an employee meeting to assure them of the organization's operational stability amid the governance crisis. Masondo added that the board received independent legal advice before deciding to suspend Dlamini. Political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu noted that the problems at PIC reflect broader societal issues, suggesting that patronage systems and the influence of well-connected individuals impede the full implementation of the Mpati Commission's findings. In turn, the DA party stated that PIC's claim of having fully implemented the Mpati Commission's recommendations is false, and insists on replacing Masondo with an independent individual, as the commission recommended that the Deputy Minister of Finance should no longer hold the position of PIC chairperson.
