A uniquely South African sighting in local parking lots is car guards who wave drivers into and out of parking spots and keep an eye on their vehicles when they’re not around.
Speaking on 702’s Drive with John Perlman, Varsity College’s Dr. John Foster said these individuals are part of a marginalised group who are being taken advantage of by the same people who are supposed to be helping them.
Foster said there are two main types of car guards that operate in the country, the first being the “informal” group who are not regulated by any governing body and who are visibly less organised.
The second group is car guards that are regulated by agencies and who must pay daily fees to these companies for the “privilege” of being able to do the job.
Foster said these agencies charge the individuals a “standing fee” of anywhere between R5 to R100 per day before they receive any remuneration, oftentimes eating the bulk of the income a car guard will earn for that shift.
In an interview with MoneyWeb, Lilian Williams* – a regulated car guard who was previously a technician at a firm of medical pathologists – said she must pay R45 in cash every day, which is collected by a supervisor on behalf of the company, while earning between R60 to R120 depending on the area she is stationed.
She is never given receipts as this would create a paper trail that can be followed by Sars, something the companies try to avoid, and the standing fee seems to be determined at the whim of the agency as it can “change overnight” without any prior consultation or warning.
If a car guard misses or can’t afford even one payment, they are told not to come back the next day or to pay double when they do.
Williams was not given a copy of the contract she signed with the placement agency, either, which “mostly deals with disciplinary measures that may be taken against you,” she said.
However, because they are technically not seen as employees in the eyes of the law, car guards do not enjoy full protection in terms of the employment act, so if something happens when they’re on duty, like an injury, they are left to deal with the problem on their own.
Moreover, for an individual to be considered by one of these organisations they must complete a security course which is required for registration with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira).
This costs between R600 and R700 to complete and R240-per-year thereafter to keep. If a car guard does not have a registration certificate, they run the risk of being arrested and fined R150, something that recently happened at a shopping centre in Pretoria North, said Williams.
Essentially the only services the agencies offer car guards are to make sure they “look smart and are formalised” and that there is “some type of control” over the placement system, according to Foster.
Be that as it may, the car guards still have to purchase their own uniforms and whatever else they may need to perform their duties, so “they’re not really benefitting” from their relationship with the agency in as many ways they should.
Car guards do prevent crime
Foster’s research has shown that just the presence of car guards in parking lots lowers the attractiveness for criminals to attempt to steal vehicles.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of them are living hand to mouth and their earnings have deteriorated over the past few years as living costs skyrocket.
As such, Foster said he has seen a concerted effort from communities in South Africa to assist car guards in formalising the industry without forcing them to pay “standing fees” which will allow them not only to make a better living but to also put a few rands into their savings for a rainy day, something they are completely unable to do at the moment.
“If you earn R60 and pay R45 standing fees, you won’t have anything left for Omo,” noted Williams.
Many of these car guards were once employed but have lost their traditional jobs and are now trying to make ends meet in a tough economic climate without reverting to illegal means.
Foster therefore implores motorists to spare any change they can for car guards and if they do not have any, to at least “acknowledge they exist” as it could make a difference unbeknownst to them.
*Williams requested that her real name not be used for fear of losing her job
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