Up Close, Entering Africa | Chinese Women's Security Challenge in South Africa | Chinese Women's Security Challenge in South Africa
South Africa has once again held a BRICS summit, making this country with high crime rates the focus of the media spotlight. Li Lin went to study at Kingsoft University in Johannesburg in 2009, where she started a business with her family and pondered on her own career. Now, she is heading into the blue ocean industry of overseas security, which protects her interests. "Security is not about using violence to control violence. When gunshots sound, it indicates that the security plan is not perfect." After years of practical experience, she led her team into the sociology and anthropology fields of security consulting and crime research, becoming a unique landscape to cultivate in South Africa.
At present, there are over 300000 overseas Chinese living in South Africa, and many Chinese enterprises value local resources and markets and have taken root. Behind this scene is South Africa's weak national security system construction. Li Lin introduced that unlike China's national conditions, South Africa has only over 200000 security forces, while there are as many as 1.4 million security personnel in the country. It can be said that the daily life of South Africans is closely related to various safety measures. There are social security patrols at home, office security at work, and systematic security when arriving at larger parks. Some locals even train themselves at the shooting range and legally hold guns.
Chinese people have lived in a peaceful and stable environment for a long time, and it is inevitable that they will suffer losses in South Africa. "Being a mother makes one strong. Seeing many compatriots unfortunately die at gunpoint, in order to protect myself and my family, I want to try the field of security." Li Lin upgraded to become a mother in 2012, and she also plunged into the security circle. From studying the International Security Standards Alliance standard courses at the beginning, to obtaining the South African National Security Practitioner Qualification Certificate, Li Lin became the earliest female security guard in South Africa to eat crabs. Recalling the days when she took the gun certificate exam, Li Lin said that she had originally applied for a "three in one" gun certificate for shotguns, long guns, and handguns. Later, during the test, the examiner found that this Chinese little girl was very talented, with a perfect firing point that did not require additional payment. She added a hunting gun and eventually obtained a "four in one" certificate.
Unlike the older generation, Li Lin, these highly educated overseas Chinese, use their brains to make money. She admitted that the security industry is not selling physical labor, but rather engaging in mental activities. Ordinary people believe that security is about sending armed security guards to guard. Li Lin said this is a stereotype, and true good security is the construction of the entire security system. Taking her team as an example, the current security system includes 36 major items and 144 elements. This includes various aspects such as civil defense, material defense, and technical defense, as well as the social security system that is easily overlooked.
Li Lin introduced that in the past, South Africa was often a random security issue, and individuals who were more careful may turn the tide of danger. However, now the new characteristic of South Africa's security situation is the rise of organized and high-tech crimes, so many individuals and organizations need professional security companies to provide services. She particularly emphasized that when working in the security industry in South Africa and even Africa, it is important to act within the legal framework of the host country, otherwise it will become a mercenary and a target for European and American non-governmental organizations and malicious institutions.
In South Africa, real risks are happening every day. Li Lin said that it is impossible for a gun to catch fire without wiping it. In the past two years, several cases she has taken over have shown that only professional security companies can prevent risks. A few years ago, eight Zimbabwean thieves infiltrated a Chinese slaughterhouse in the suburbs of Johannesburg in the middle of the night. "Our security personnel fired warning shots but failed, ultimately injuring one person. After inspecting the scene, the police believed that our operations were standard. In South Africa, bullet marks must be on the front, which means guns cannot be fired from behind." Li Lin said.
Now, Li Lin has expanded her security business to countries such as Kenya, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each country has different national conditions and requires country research and one-on-one security plans. After years of immersion in the security industry, she began to upgrade her business, ranging from security consulting and evaluation to criminology in the fields of sociology and anthropology.
After the BRICS Summit, Li Lin expects more Chinese companies to invest and develop in South Africa, especially in the context of the overall electricity shortage in South Africa, where Chinese new energy companies will flock to the market. "It is currently difficult for South Africa to eliminate the poverty, unemployment and other criminal problems caused by uneven development. It is expected that Chinese enterprises and Chinese people heading to South Africa will have a surge in security needs." This female security practitioner, who joined the industry more than ten years ago, confidently said that by protecting Chinese people, the Chinese people will eventually realize the vision of a safe and beautiful life where they are not seen and their homeland is a foreign land.
