Who will guard the guards

Here is a row brewing over another government intervention, one that touches many "privileged" South Africans on their studio – and deliberately so – following the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority's call for comments on its draft regulations.

- KEVIN RITCHIE

The security industry is one of the biggest sectors in South Africa. There are more armed guards, many in armoured vehicles, than the police officers and the soldiers combined.

The draft regulations seek to radically control the issuing and use of firearms by security officers on duty, which has queued the expected highly vocal rebuttal from the industry and its agents warning of Gotterdammerung if these are passed.

In terms of the boogieman, it's right up there with the National Health Insurance Bill, the Expropriation Act and the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act.