All CCTV cameras are now working, says eThekwini municipality

Amid the influx of travellers expected to flock to Durban this festive season, the eThekwini municipality has assured residents and holidaymakers that all of the city's cameras are now working to fight crime and track criminals. 

The city said it has ensured its closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the inner city are all operational. It said the project of repairing and upgrading the CCTV cameras began in September and is now complete.

Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the city had met the target of  completing repairs by November 30.

“We are pleased with the work undertaken and have ensured that all CCTV cameras in the city centre are in operation ahead of the festive season,” said Kaunda.

In September, the city revealed that it had set aside more than R100m to fix the cameras that have left them “blind” to crime and nearly 90% of them not working. It told TimesLIVE that the cameras, which operate on power and fibre, became defective after some of the fibre cables were washed away during last year’s floods.

Over the months, the city has received backlash for its defective street cameras, as opposition parties raised concerns that this was affecting police investigations and the tracing of suspects. 

After rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend, chef Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, were fatally gunned down outside the Wish restaurant on Florida Road in Durban, it was revealed that only one camera in the area was working.

Kaunda said with the city centre under constant surveillance and a high visibility of law enforcement, criminal activity is set to shrink. He said the upgrade of technology to the surveillance cameras will also improve traffic flow management, emergency response times and the overall deployment of critical municipal resources.

There are critical areas and crime hotspots where new installations have been made, Kaunda added. 

“The rollout plan will see CCTV cameras expanding to residential areas, including townships and suburbs. We also call on communities to work with the city and all law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime.”

Last week the city revealed that law enforcement has been beefed up in eThekwini in anticipation of about 1-million visitors this festive season, with the hotel occupancy rate expected to be about 62% compared with 57% last year.

TimesLIVE