There is a stylised snake on Gaboon Protection’s company logo. Gaboon vipers are attractive creatures, geometrically patterned, placid and excellent at blending into their surrounds. When riled, however, their bites can be lethal. It’s an appropriate analogy for a close protection officer (CPO). In SA, R45bn a year is spent on private security and the industry employs nearly 500,000 people. But expertise varies wildly. At Gaboon’s inconspicuous office in a quiet Cape Town suburb are several men who are specialists in the protection business — bodyguards, essentially, but not standard-issue specimens. They are highly trained, often former military or emergency services personnel with a raft of skills, ranging from medical expertise to tactical driving. Their services — such as accompanying film crews or corporate engineers to remote areas, baby-sitting celebrities, taking business executives to meetings across Africa or wealthy families on safari — cost $200-$2,000 a day, depending o...
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