PRETORIA – Investigators from South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU), supported by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), executed a search and seizure warrant at the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) headquarters in Centurion, Pretoria, on 22 September.

The warrant, granted by the Special Tribunal on 17 September 2026, authorised law enforcement officers to enter the regulatory body’s premises to search for and confiscate physical documentation as well as electronic equipment, including computers and mobile phones.

The search operation was carried out as a last resort after PSIRA failed to fully cooperate with investigators through cordial engagement, the SIU said in a statement.

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Following the launch of the investigation, the SIU requested official records relating to disputed training contracts, but PSIRA provided only partial compliance, submitting document bundles that omitted an entire year’s worth of crucial documentation necessary for the probe.

The broader investigation stems from Proclamation 316 of 2026, signed by Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa on 3 June 2026. The presidential directive authorises the SIU to investigate allegations of corruption, maladministration, and financial loss regarding the procurement and contracting of training services administered by PSIRA on behalf of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).

Estimated at R130 million, the contested training agreement was intended to deliver Election Observer Training, End-User Computing Training, and “PSIRA Grade E to C” Training to 7,071 targeted learners across all nine provinces.

The SIU’s mandate encompasses procurement decisions, contracting, and financial transactions occurring between 1 January 2019 and 3 June 2026, as well as any connected matters extending outside this timeframe.

The SIU statement says investigators are examining whether payments made under the contracts were fair, competitive, transparent, equitable, and cost-effective. The unit is also probing allegations of improper or unlawful conduct by officials, unlawful expenditure or appropriation of public funds, irregular transactions involving state property, and intentional or negligent losses of public money.

The SIU holds statutory powers to subpoena bank statements and cellphone records, search premises, and interrogate witnesses under oath. The agency is empowered to institute civil proceedings in the High Court or Special Tribunal to set aside invalid contracts, correct identified wrongdoing, and recover financial losses suffered by the state.

In accordance with the SIU Act, any evidence pointing to criminal conduct uncovered during the investigation will be formally referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for criminal prosecution.