Private security pilots join SAPS helicopters to keep Gauteng elections peaceful

Gauteng’s police commissioner has put private security aircraft and pilots alongside SAPS helicopters for the 2026 local government elections, in a joint air support deployment he says is meant to keep voting in the province peaceful.

Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni addressed the pilots during a deployment briefing at Arthur Block in Mayfair, following a media briefing at the same venue. The briefing brought together SAPS management, the pilots and representatives of several private security and business organisations.

Among those listed by the police service were Morné du Toit of Fidelity Specialised Services, Fouché Burgers of Business Against Crime South Africa, Wahl Bartmann of Fidelity Services Group, Yaseen Theba of Vision Tactical and retired Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, the former Gauteng provincial commissioner, representing Bidvest Security.

Mthombeni said he was pleased that SAPS Gauteng had the air support and the commitment of private security and the business community, describing their role in joint aerial policing alongside SAPS helicopters as critical to peaceful elections in the province.

The police service did not say how many aircraft or pilots are involved, which areas of Gauteng they will cover, or what the arrangement costs. It also gave no details of the terms under which private security aircraft operate alongside a police operation.

Gauteng is the country’s most populous province and its municipalities are among the most closely contested in local government elections.