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The BUZZard chatted to Kingswood trustee and chair of the Security Committee, Fielies Nieuwoudt, who was happy to report on the timeous progress of all operations set to be completed during the third quarter of 2024.
‘It’s going really well, actually,’ smiles Fielies as an introduction to an update on the five-year plan currently in motion to ensure that security at Kingswood Golf Estate is checking all the boxes for a property of its vast size and standout reputation.
‘As far as this year’s programme goes, we have finished within the budget set and we’re 100% on track with planned upgrades for 2024 – all facets of which will be completed before the end of the year.’ He reminds that the second phase of this five-tired security project focused mostly on fortifying all fencing and streamlining the access control process.
Changing of the guard
‘Among developments immediately in the pipeline is renewing the guarding contract, which will happen in the next few weeks,’ says Fielies, explaining that the current contract has lapsed and that the next company selected for the essential service of guarding will be decided through a tender process.
‘Four institutions have put in tenders – Fidelity, Bidvest, Thorburn, and Phangela – and we are now sifting through all data to choose the top candidate. In fact, the contract expired at the end of July, but we moved up the renewal deadline by one month to ensure that we make the right decision.’ Part of the preferred company’s responsibilities will be to provide more guards at the control room, while plans are also afoot for a firefighting vehicle on the estate, and for guards to have access to paintball guns for a colourful addition to the array of tools that deter unwanted elements on the estate.
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He says it is essential for the guarding process to be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that everyone involved, from management to the guard doing gate duty, is vigilant at all times. ‘When signing the next five-year contract, we want them to be the best of the best.’
United front
While chatting to The BUZZard at the gatehouse over coffee, three able-looking men moseyed over to the table to greet Fielies. They were introduced as ‘Neil from ZA Projects, Johan from JP Fencing, and Kobus of Scholtz Consulting’. The latter is the 2IC of Willem Scholtz, who updated readers on KGE security in the previous edition.
‘All three of these companies have been working towards keeping us on track. So we have successfully gained our COC certificate for the perimeter fence as is legally required, and the team effort continues.’
Importantly, Fielies explains that parts of the exterior fence can produce a shock of 10,000 volts when touched, and that people with pacemakers should be careful to avoid these areas. There will be interior fences that are not active and rected specifically to prevent residents from reaching the high-voltage perimeter fence.
Standout performance
‘It’s important to mention Caron Manchest, who has been doing an amazing job with access control and ensuring the smooth running of processes such as facial recognition. We started off with a capacity of 4,000 and have now moved that ceiling up to 10,000 since new registrations are frequent, for instance when people get new phones. Caron takes no nonsense, and quickly mastered all the relevant technology.’
Another less human member of the Kingswood security outfit is called ‘Smurf’ – but don’t for a moment imagine a tiny blue creature with a funny white cap. The Smurf in question is a mobile solar-powered camera that can be placed at danger points, with a range of 150m on either side. ‘Our Smurf is currently doing service at the estate’s southwestern corner, and boasts its own control room and monitoring system. This is incredible tech with optic and thermal photography capabilities, and it’s powered by batteries when it’s overcast for long periods of time.’
Into the future
In a nutshell, projects for next year include:
• Digging trenches for fibre cables to connect safety equipment to the hub – ‘an easy but expensive job,’ says Fielies.
• With new guarding, the control room will be operational 24/7.
• When the gatehouse is repurposed, the control room may be moved to this building.
‘For the new guarding contract the adjudication committee is using an independent security consultant,’ explains Fielies, adding that Scholtz Consulting will take the lead in appointing the most suitable institution. ‘Also, there is now a so-called “security manual”, and this highly confidential document is in the care of the CEO.’ These issues, as well as the completion of a security service level agreement to maintain the perimeter fence, were under discussion during a strategic planning meeting on 24 July and will be the subject of a future security update.
