The Red Ants Security and Eviction Services
Started by farmer, Johan Bosch, The Red Ants Security and Relocation Service are a notorious company providing security solutions to both public and private clients. After rebranding the enterprise in 2014 The Red Ants have diversified their portfolio including other functions such as education, skills development, agricultural practices, and other services describing their aim of being “one stop all encompassing Urban Management support services for Human Settlements”. Their recent success built off a trend of privatization has seen the Red Ants establish their new Headquarters on 11 Diagonal Street, Newtown, Johannesburg. This proposal discusses the exponential trajectory of niched privatized security forces in South Africa. Built around the issues of illegal occupancy and crime, Helmut Jahn’s 80m high Diamond building begins to represent the new economy of eviction birthed from an over emphasis of ‘business be our savior’ in a society built on extractive practices and a shifted set of values of the neoliberal state.