Tuesday, 01 December 2020
Companies and Acquisitions – Integrated facilities management company Servest has acquired Unite Group, one of the few specialist security intervention companies in the country. Through the acquisition of the 20-year-old company, Servest has also acquired the company’s assets, including its fleet of armoured vehicles such as a large fleet of Mambas and Nyalas and the Aardvark vehicles. This makes Servest the only private security provider that owns an Aardvark response vehicle for specialist intervention response.
With this added capacity to engage in intervention services through the acquisition, Servest will now be able to enhance its security offering. In addition to its armed and manned guard services, the company will be able to enhance its range of tactical security services including VIP protection, armed escorts, riot control, protests and strike interventions.
Unite Group’s workforce includes a large contingent of riot officers, who will be absorbed by Servest as part of this transaction.
Nhlanhla Khuzwayo, managing director of Servest’s security division, says “The acquisition of Unite Group forms part of Servest’s growth strategy to offer integrated and fully-fledged security services to its clients. This consists of a national footprint of manned guards, strike intervention and armed response capabilities, electronic security, and advanced risk solutions.
“Growing our security intervention business has always been at the core of our strategy, and the acquisition of an existing business with a proven track record will help us to unlock value for our clients. Unite Group brings on board world-class security capabilities; and they have a credible industry track record, with experience in crowd control and focused interventions to enable the safety of people, places and products.
Khuzwayo highlighted that, “Clients are increasingly concerned about the safety of their people and assets in light of the increasingly violent nature of protest action, robberies, theft of infrastructure and delays to construction projects due to sabotage and disgruntled parties. Our aim through the introduction of specialist interventions is to ensure that clients do not lose money during protests or strikes even for those clients with goods and assets in transit.”
Khuzwayo acknowledges that intervention offerings are no ordinary security, as this is a specialised skill that requires an understanding of how to negotiate, control and calm crowds without causing harm.
He explained that the mining industry, for example, loses an estimated R2m to R4 m per day for Chrome & Diamond mines and about R10m – R15m per day for Gold and Platinum mines due to production stoppages caused by either on-site armed robberies or protests; and this in turn impacts their performance and the country’s revenue.
He noted that Servest has seen through experience that government alone cannot calm or control protests, and there is a gap that private security providers can bridge in supporting efforts to control protests and ensure that these do not dramatically affect production and productivity.
“When we considered this acquisition, we were looking for a company with the right expertise, a healthy balance sheet and historic profitability and capability. There were definite synergies in the company’s and in Servest’s offerings to enhance our capabilities, to provide an integrated solution for a wider range of security needs.
“We are of the view that this acquisition will definitely play a crucial role across sectors to control the negative impact that protests, strikes and armed robberies can have on businesses and the economy, especially given efforts being made to rebuild the economy,” commented Khuzwayo.
