• Vumacam has announced that it plans to grant the Gauteng Provincial Government access to a network of over 11 000 camera systems nationwide.
• This follows the provincial government promising Gauteng residents it would launch new surveillance measures as a way to fight the extreme crime in the region.
• Vumacam says any vehicle involved in criminal activity caught on its cameras will now trigger an alert.

More than a year after the Provincial Government of Gauteng made its intentions clear about using new technologies to fight lawlessness in South Africa’s most populous region, it has now made good on its promise to roll out new surveillance measures across Johannesburg thanks to a newly struck deal with Vumacam.

The partnership which was solidified today at a press briefing in Milpark, will see Gauteng have immediate access to Vumacam’s network of 6 000 cameras across the province, and access to another 5 000 partner cameras nationwide.

According to Vumacam’s announcement, this network – a system of 11 000 plus cameras – will trigger immediate alerts if they see any vehicles known to be involved in criminal activities in Gauteng, alerting authorities.

Gauteng also made it clear in 2022 that it wanted to increase surveillance to underserved areas, and now this may be possible thanks to the Vumacam partnership, which says will extend camera coverage to townships, informal settlements and hostels.

Gauteng says its department of egovernment will now provide “Smart integrated CCTV cameras as a service” to its clients using the Vumacam infrastructure.

“To support this mandate, Vumacam’s network will enhance a range of services by deploying CCTV Cameras in the [Gauteng]: providing evidence to relevant enforcement agencies; maintaining public order; preventing antisocial behaviour and nuisance; providing reassurance and promoting economic wellbeing,” the company shares in the announcement.

“A further layer of security is added by escalating verified alerts, ensuring any potential noise from false alerts are filtered out and only actionable alerts are escalated through Vumacam’s locally developed Proof Platform,” it adds.

Vumacam has already been working hand in hand with the South African Police Service (SAPS), claiming that the partnership in providing surveillance technologies has led to over 400 interceptions across Gauteng, per month.

“We believe that the alerts from our extensive network delivered through our world-class software platform, and verified by expertly trained operators will result in a new normal in the fight against crime in South Africa’s economic heartland,” beamed Vumacam chief executive Ricky Croock.

“We believe we can help South Africa become a safer place through the power of video and technology, delivered by a centralised platform that connects disparate operators, and that will become the de-facto standard in all control rooms.”

The news follows an announcement from MTN last week, that it was setting up a crime surveillance centre in Soweto to better protect its infrastructure in the area from vandals, as well as the larger community through a partnership with local community watch groups and the police.

[Image – Photo by Michał Jakubowski on Unsplash]