The 2024 Southern Africa Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) winners were revealed on Tuesday, June 11th, at the Securex South Africa Seminar Theatre hosted by SMART Security Solutions.
An exciting new development for this year is that southern Africa winners from all categories (except Lifetime Achievement) will be featured in the first Global OSPAs, which will take place in 2025. Winners will automatically qualify for the global competition.
The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award will be inducted into the newly launched Security Hall of Fame. Learn more about this here.
2024 Southern Africa Award winners
Outstanding Security Team
Points of Presence Security Team — First National Bank South Africa: The Points of Presence Security team (POPSEC) strives to safeguard all First National Bank's assets by investigating, testing, and implementing measures to find the most secure and cost-effective solutions.
The POPSEC team successfully accomplished several key objectives via a collaborative effort with different stakeholders. They connected critical systems to the FNB internal network to enable remote monitoring and management. They also implemented lithium battery backup solutions and designed and tested FNB-specific security solutions in partnership with local suppliers. Furthermore, they negotiated costs related to hardware, installation, and maintenance with service providers, optimised operational processes, and refurbished old equipment for reuse with sustainability in mind.
As a result, the POPSEC team improved security and saved FNB in excess of R20m l in the first half of the 2023/2024 financial year.
Judges commented that this team best showed a tangible result from working together.
Outstanding Security Training Initiative
TAPA’s Online Training Initiative: This initiative aims to promote outstanding security practices and strengthen safety throughout the supply chain. The new TAPA EMEA training programme, based on FSR, TSR, PSR, and SSTPA standards, adopted innovative approaches that impressed judges.
For example, specially created trainer avatars guide participants through the training modules, creating an interactive learning environment. Film and photo materials and video sequences facilitate knowledge transfer and help participants better understand and internalise the material. The flexibility to train at one's own pace and determine the time when training can be undertaken allows security experts to integrate qualifications into their daily work routine and tailor their education to their individual circumstances.
Judges applauded the innovative approach and commented on its ability to serve as a global reference point.
Outstanding Security Installer/Integrator
ATG Digital: ATG Digital’s core service delivers cutting-edge technology that revolutionises how organisations authenticate identities, screen individuals, allocate resources, and secure facilities.
ATG Digital's innovation was recognised by judges, and its track record of bringing numerous industry firsts to market was highlighted as a key area of outstanding performance. It initiated digital visitor identification and licence scanning in 2014, enabling it to eliminate paper processes, and since then, it has launched other ground-breaking solutions, including container tracking, logistics security, facial recognition access control, and licence-plate recognition.
Judges commented that their ability to adapt to changing circumstances speedily, innovatively and effectively was impressive.
Outstanding New Security Product
NoKey – Secutel Technologies: NoKey from Secutel Technologies is an enterprise-grade cloud-based access control solution that has adopted a new approach to traditional access control methods. Unlike conventional systems that rely on access control cards, fingerprint readers, tags, or keys, NoKey leverages the power of mobile technology to provide a secure, convenient, and efficient access control solution for businesses.
Secutel Technologies was honoured with the Outstanding Security Performance Award in two categories in 2021 and achieved finalist nominations for the region in the 2023 OSPAs.
Outstanding Young Security Professional
Chandre Bezuidenhout – Crisis24: Chandre Bezuidenhout is a global security and intelligence manager, working within Crisis24's Embedded Intelligence Services Division. She leads a team of seven open-source intelligence analysts based in the United States, South Africa, and Singapore for a Fortune 500 technology company, supporting their incident and crisis management mission. Throughout her career, Chandre has also provided strategic intelligence and travel security assessments to several of the world’s largest organisations.
Chandre has specific expertise in sub-Saharan Africa, though her current role requires her to be a globalist. Chandre is also a 2024 board member for the ASIS International South Africa Chapter, serving as secretary, and in the Women in Security (WiS) function.
Judges commented that Chandre is a ‘breath of fresh air’ and a true example of the type of person that is needed to take the private security industry to new heights.
Lifetime Achievement
Gotlieb Johannes Jacobus Mijo: Mijo was characterised as having established a ‘legacy of security excellence’ and as a true titan of the Namibian security sector. His unwavering dedication to excellence, leadership, and mentorship have left an indelible mark on the industry. The judges felt that the Lifetime Achievement Award is a fitting tribute to a lifetime of service for an individual who has played a key part in making Namibia a safer and more secure place for all.
Mijo, better known as Hans, began his security career at 18. After joining the South African Police, his star potential was recognised early as his commitment to excellence shone through. He completed his warrant officer exams within two years and excelled in detective work. Recognising his talent, the department looked to cultivate his skills, and he was entrusted with training dogs for criminal tracking.
His passion for canine training led him to establish a successful dog training club with 70 members in Tsumeb. Mijo's leadership extended beyond police work. In 1973, he joined Rossing Uranium Mine, establishing a highly effective 36-dog security unit that played its part in significantly curbing criminal activity. This success propelled him to a leadership role at the Goldfields Group in South Africa, where he trained various security dogs for tasks like tracking, riot control, and explosives detection. Judges highlighted his important influence on the security sector in Namibia, someone who had had a positive impact over many years.
The event organisers would like to thank all those who have helped to make the Southern Africa OSPAs event such a success, including all the supporting associations, judges and sponsors at Edith Cowan University (trophies and certificates).
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