Durban - Security gates are usually attached to doors on the outside of homes but as South Africa’s crime rate continues to soar, estate agents say an increasing number of people are installing them inside their houses to cordon off their sleeping areas at night.
Estate agent Rista Stoop said she had seen the security gates mainly in double storey homes where families use them to separate the upstairs bedrooms from the bottom level living areas and kitchen.
“So if there is a break-in, the people upstairs still have the gate separating them from the intruders,” said Stoop.
She said an elaborate security system did not necessarily add value to the home but, for the prospective buyer, it was an added security feature which they welcomed.
Stoop, who deals with houses from Umbilo to uMhlanga, said: “The more north you move, like Durban North, uMhlanga and Ballito, the more tech savvy security features the homes tend to have.”
She said homeowners were increasingly also investing in perimeter beams and electric fencing in an attempt to stop intruders even before they reach the buildings on a property.
In February, Statistics South Africa revealed that more than a million incidents of housebreaking had occurred in the country in the 2020/21 financial year.
Tercia Schick, an estate agent in the central suburbs such as Umbilo, Morningside and Durban North, said security gates were usually installed inside older homes and not the more modern buildings.
While it doesn’t always fit in with the aesthetics of the home, Schick said those wanting to invest in property did not find it “off-putting” but liked the additional security measure.
Schick, who works for Sam Harwood Property, said people appreciate all the security bells and whistles.
She also said she had seen security gates used mainly in double storey homes.
“So the security gate would be right at the top of the stairs, and if someone gets into the bottom floor they won’t be able to get to the top floor,” she said.
Gavin Bean, who has been in the security industry for more than two decades, said homeowners often put a security gate or aluminium roller shutter in the passageway of the building or at the top or bottom of a staircase.
He said it’s generally known as “cocooning” in the security industry and they had seen the trend develop over many years.
“When someone does breach the property, they can steal the TV and the microwave and so forth as long as the residents are safe in their cocoon. Most people are insured for their belongings so those can be replaced,” he said.
Bean, the regional distribution and sales manager for Xpanda Security South Africa, said a security beam was an early warning system but would not prevent anyone from entering a house, but a physical security product would actually prevent and delay somebody from gaining access to the property.
“Security nowadays is like an onion. You've got to have several layers of security and that includes perimeter walls on the outside of your property, as well as electric fencing, detection beams and then getting to your house where you have physical security barriers on your property.”
The Independent on Saturday