SECURICO celebrated its Silver Jubilee 2023
themed Our journey, our people, Delivering Excellence since 1998 this month.
Many activities focused on their sustainability agenda that were undertaken in the past five
weeks.
Education, the environment, and women’s economic empowerment being the key areas for their
community engagements, SECURICO had an opportunity to go around the country celebrating
with learners in 25 schools and planting trees as part of its legacy-building journey.
SECURICO is one of the leading security companies in Zimbabwe and has been on a remarkable journey for a company born out of a kitchen table.
The company has achieved many significant milestones over the past 25 years, consistently demonstrated to their coined pay offline “Commitment to Quality and Excellence”, trailblazing many notable achievements in an environment that has been difficult. Some of the key milestones that have shaped SECURICO’s remarkable success story are: Founding with four people
SECURICO was founded on a kitchen table with four people and the company graduated to the servant quarters of the mid residential area of Mabelreign by an ordinary woman Divine Simbi-Ndhlukula, who not only had no experience in the security sector but had next to nothing in capital. However, having identified the gap that existed then, she and her team worked like maniacs to stake their position as the most professional security services provider in Zimbabwe.
The overriding idea was to be the best in uncompromising quality service to the high end of the market segment, being served by dedicated, motivated and highly engaged team members, and thus made a mark on changing the face of the industry in no time. Exponential growth With that approach, SECURICO grew quickly, and its reputation started filtering to the very people who had written it off as a nonentity. The company moved from Mabelreign to the National Sports Stadium and other service offerings came on stream, with the purchase of its headquarters in Workington in 2006. In no time, regional offices were opened every 10
months in places like Bulawayo, Gweru, Masvingo, Mutare, Bindura, Marondera, Kwekwe, Chinhoyi, Chegutu, Ngezi, Rusape, among other towns with many of the offices owned by the company. Cash management Cash management service was pioneered by SECURICO in 2003 providing end-to-end cash management, that is cash and asset-in-transit, ATM replenishment, cashiering, and valuable storage
services. This was started together with reception services. SECURICO’s cash-handling experience also includes the distribution of cash to more than 100 000 households in all districts in Zimbabwe.
The company has experienced cashiers supported by a well-resourced CIT service with vehicles that have onboard CCTVs and are tracked in real-time.
The company boasts of a fully-fledged investigations department that does random follow-ups
and escort services by ZRP where necessary.
Electronic security systems
Having understood the need to provide 360 degrees of security solutions, SECURICO started an
electronics division to install high-tech security
systems like the intruder alarms, CCTVs, access
control systems and rapid response and emergency security services.
The Standard News
Culture of excellence
SECURICO went on to acquire Multilink, a rapid response company in 2008 and became a fully-fledged electronics security systems company. The company has been installing high-tech security systems at key strategic sites and mines in Zimbabwe.
ISO certification with everyone on board
SECURICO trailblazed in the certifications of ISO 9001, 45001 and 18001 to achieve a robust SHEQ management system that has supported the growth of the business. This has now seen many security companies going for certification pitching the local security industry at the global level. Due to the large number of employees, SECURICO’s challenges in implementing ISO 9001 QMS were ensuring that everyone was on board; that they understood what it is about, and their role in the whole certification process. SECURICO was the first manned security company to be certified to ISO9001 in 2005 with certifications to 14001 EMS and 45001 OHS following a few years later. SECURICO’s culture of excellence has seen it win many business leadership awards over the past 25 years. These prestigious awards like the Africa Award for Entrepreneurship are a testament to its commitment to fulfilling the needs of its customers. Many other achievements have been awarded with the London Stock Exchange naming them as one of the companies to inspire Africa, as well as being adjudged in the Zimbabwe Top 10 Best Employers, consistently being adjudged as one of the superbrands in Zimbabwe.
It is, thus, when the World Cup did its journey across Africa in 2010, that SECURICO was chosen as the security service supplier to this very monumental and sensitive assignment. Diversity and inclusiveness
One of the motivations for starting SECURICO was a desire to empower disadvantaged women in Zimbabwe who were not able to access opportunities for formal employment. Since its formation, SECURICO has taken an active and deliberate initiative to include women, targeting especially single mothers as they are most vulnerable in the hitherto male-dominated private security industry. Currently, SECURICO employs over 900 women and is the largest employer of women in Zimbabwe outside the government. The trend set by SECURICO has seen a rise in the general acceptance and inclusion of women in the private security sector. The company provides equal opportunity to all regardless of gender with women occupying positions like gunners, supervisors, managers, CIT drivers, and dog handlers
with women well-represented in the SECURICO leadership. The company holds an exclusive
Women Empowerment Day as part of its annual calendar of activities. It has gone a step further to establish a gender desk that is manned by fully qualified counsellors who handle gender issues as, and when they arise. The company has extended its women empowerment to its supply chain where over 60% of suppliers are women. Dr Ndhlukula also founded the Women Owned Business Trust initiative, to help women scale up their businesses.
The Standard News of 17 December 2023 Page T1 – T2
