The Security Mastery Academy in the Johannesburg CBD teaches security industry skills and personal growth.

The cold air wraps around the city, adding a dreary hue to Joburg. Despite this, the quiet, tree-lined parts of the CBD hum with life, embracing the chilly bite with a resilient spirit. Inside the historic Anglo American building at 45 Main Street, young people from Soweto, Vaal, Alex, Klipfontein and even Queenstown in the Eastern Cape gather for an intense session.

It looks like a hardcore gym workout. Amapiano pulses through the speakers as the people dance around the hall before diving into push-ups, their bright yellow-and-orange reflector vests gleaming under the harsh lighting. But these are not just any students: they are training to be security professionals at the first-of-its-kind Security Mastery Academy (SMA), powered by the Maharishi Invincibility Institute (MII) in partnership with Community Active Protection (CAP).

When Anglo American relocated its offices to Rosebank, the mining company decided to donate its head office building to the MII.

One of the MII's first academies to move into 45 Main was its newly launched SMA, the brainchild of CEO Dr Taddy Blecher, who recruited security expert Jason Mordecai to head up the three-year course.

"This is no run-of-the-mill security course, many of which comprise between three to six...