I am a professionally trained bodyguard (also known as a Close Protection Officer), and worked at the Embassy of Japan in Pretoria, I also rendered services to private individuals in KZN and I know what it costs to employ a bodyguard.
The fee quoted for the municipality was still acceptable but could have been more. The fee for a professionally trained bodyguard, that was just put out in the ‘field’, ranges from R4 000 to R5 000 per day and a bodyguard who is working for more than five years in the field will cost you between R15 000 and R30 000 per day depending on what services they need to render, excluding their expenses.
Some government agencies employ bodyguards out of a pool of bodyguards who are solely working for the government and they pay for their services, including their meals, clothes, firearms and ammunition, travel too!
And from a designated point etc. bodyguards who are working privately can quote you up to R50 000 per day including their expenses. What services do a bodyguard render you may ask. The highest priority for any bodyguard is to protect the individual’s life and property.
You must ask yourself the question: “Are you willing to lay your life down for that stranger that you are protecting, it does not matter what his/her background, personal life or the colour of his/her skin is?”
Following is a short description of a bodyguard:
A bodyguard (or close protection officer) is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person or persons — usually a public, wealthy, or politically important figure(s) — from danger: generally theft, assault, kidnapping, homicide, harassment, loss of confidential information, threats, or other criminal offences.
Most important public figures such as Heads of State, Heads of Government and Governors are protected by several bodyguards or by a team of bodyguards from an agency, security forces, or police forces. In most countries where the Head of State is and have always been also their military leader, the leader’s bodyguards have traditionally been Royal Guards, Republican Guards and other elite military units.
Less-important public figures, or those with lower risk profiles, may be accompanied by a single bodyguard who doubles as a driver.
A number of high-profile celebrities and CEOs also use bodyguards. This only gives you a short definition of a bodyguard or Close Protection Officer. You can look it up at Wikipedia if you want more information about it.
