Durban — Three weeks after the eThekwini Municipality announced that the inner city closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be fully operational before the festive season, the municipality has reached its goal.
In a statement, the municipality said that as it geared up to welcome thousands of holidaymakers over the festive season, safety measures have been intensified to ensure a safe and memorable time, including ensuring that the City’s CCTV cameras in the inner city were all working.
The process of repairing and upgrading the CCTV cameras started in September and is now complete.
eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said that the City met its target of completing the CCTV camera repairs as promised 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,” Kaunda said.
With the city centre under constant surveillance together with the high visibility of law enforcement, criminal activities are set to reduce, 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, he added.
In critical areas and at crime hotspots new installations have been made, he said.
“The roll-out 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,” Kaunda said.
Last month, deputy mayor Zandile Myeni and the municipality’s Security and Emergency Committee conducted an oversight visit to assess the project.
The delegation walked around the city centre to inspect the functionality of the cameras that have been repaired.
Myeni was satisfied with the progress and how the City is moving into smart policing.
The plan to fix defective outdoor surveillance cameras is part of the City’s concerted effort to ensure the safety of residents and tourists.
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Daily News