South Africa: Aaron The Bike Patrol Security Guard

While visiting Pretoria, South Africa recently, I got to know Aaron Todd, the guard who patrols the beautiful jacaranda tree-lined street where my American colleagues are living for a few years.

Aaron, who is from Ghana, works doing bicycle security patrol on a thee-block stretch of Murray Street, twelve hours a day, seven days a week. He told me he came to South Africa two years ago in search of economic opportunity, and landed this job.

Aaron is riding a beat up old Maxwheel brand bike provided by the company, and I wouldn’t want to spend 12 hours a day in that saddle. Still, here’s a hack you don’t see every day, he has attached his rubber club to the seat tube with a bungee cord for quick access. (Conveniently there is no longer a front derailleur to get int he way!).

“This is pepper spray,” Aaron tells me. “I only used it one time – there was a thief trying to get into someone’s home and he would not leave. His eyes hurt very badly when I sprayed him.”

On the parallel street one block over, another bicycle patrol man is riding the same three-block stretch, and so on, through the neighborhood. Thanks to South Africa’s insanely high crime rate, this kind of 24-hour security presence is ubiquitous. I borrowed a bicycle and went for a ride around Pretoria, and snapped a small taxonomy of the local security company signs. (Then I got freaked out and went back to my hotel!)

My friends told me that Aaron will only respond if a burglary or incident is occurring at a house that subscribes to the security service Aaron works for, K-9 Security. The houses on the street that are under his protection carry a distinctive sign. This one is also protected by some fierce ankle-nippers.

Aaron is the world’s nicest, gentlest-seeming fellow, and it’s kind of hard to imagine him taking down a hardened criminal, but I enjoyed spending some time with him, riding his three-block circuit together, and taking his photograph. Thanks, Aaron! Stay safe!