SECURITY PLAN on track

The BUZZard was again fortunate to score an audience with Willem Scholtz on matters related to the grand security plan currently being rolled out at Kingswood Golf Estate.

Security fundi and founder of Scholtz Consulting, Willem provided a fresh update immediately after a meeting with fellow members of the risk and security subcommittee chaired by KGE trustee Gerrit ‘Fielies’ Nieuwoudt.

Do you remember …?

During the first quarter of last year, Phase 1 of Kingswood’s five-tiered security project was approved, its main objectives including an upgrade of the perimeter fence, off-site monitoring of security cameras, and tighter access control at all gates. The latter aspect was reported upon in detail in the previous edition of The BUZZard, providing details of the new systems in place that now allow for more efficient monitoring of access to homeowners, contractors, delivery companies and guests.

By the time that Season 2023/4 dawned, Fielies and Willem concurred that the process to secure the estate’s 10km perimeter fence was completely on track; now they are celebrating the crossing of another hurdle as the new access system, which required all residents to download and register the relevant app on their mobile phones, has been implemented successfully since its onset in December ’23.

Ongoing tweaks

Willem Scholtz says it’s gratifying that the task at hand currently mostly concerns fine-tuning and tweaking. ‘When it comes to the electric fence, for instance, we are preparing for another independent inspection – just to make one hundred percent sure that all certificates are in place, and that we’ve really covered every aspect imaginable. ’He describes the new electronic systems and how people have been adapting to it in the context of human-change management: ‘We went from zero access control in the not-so-distant past to very high-security access control.

Lots of time is being spent on integrating our operational guarding services with the tech side of things.’ So another ongoing process is the interaction of Willem and the team with guards at all access points to thrash out any problems experienced on a day-to-day basis. Fortunately, no significant incidents have been reported on this front.

‘I believe we’ve come a very long way. In terms of resident access control alone, we’re dealing with around 2,000 people daily, and our Kingswood residents have been working very well with the new systems. ’Willem says that there are still ongoing communications to process and register new residents or those not yet on the system, but that everyone is working together to ensure that no one is left out in the cold. ‘Please remember to let us know if you are experiencing any niggles – if you don’t get in touch, we won’t be aware of problems.’

A New era for the Estate

More exciting news on the security front is that all service-level agreements have now been concluded; apart from Scholtz Consulting, ZA Projects has been appointed along with other contractors that work together to do daily preventative maintenance and repairs where needed. ‘Further efforts to ensure the system’s smooth running involve representatives from ZA Projects being available on-site and going the extra mile by driving with residents to ensure that they know the procedures.

Praise is also due to Caron Manchest, permanently appointed early this year to manage the ongoing registration of all traffic entering the estate. ‘This is, of course, an ongoing process when considering the ever-changing influx of builders and other service providers, but under Caron’s firm hand it has been quite seamless. The HOA must take credit for making the decision to appoint her, even if it wasn’t planned in the initial outlay – it’s working out perfectly.’ With standard operating procedures adjusted as they go, all players involved are focused on the process all the time. ‘We are very far down the road from a year ago, and I would like to believe that the value we add from a consultancy point of view is visible. It’s a new era for the estate in terms of access control, but given the many knowledgeable people involved, Kingswood is in very good hands,’ says Willem.

The year ahead

For the remainder of 2024, the team will focus on increasing tech on the perimeter fence. ‘We’ve implemented mobile solutions that are used in areas regarded as high risk. This technology is highly mobile and can be moved as dictated by circumstances. For instance, if any new activity is detected in a certain spot, we can change the position of cameras.’ Willem says the area currently being focused on in this context is the estate’s eastern border, where construction of the extensive Mediclinic precinct is now in full swing. Another potential hotspot is being monitored in the Rooi River area. ‘We are increasing tech on the perimeter within the approved budget, and so far it’s proving very successful.’