While ANC members, Cllr Naeem Patel and Laudium CPF Chairperson Shaheen Wahab were quick to pose in front of the camera, when CCTV cameras were recently installed at the corner of Military Road and Delhi Ave and at the main entrance of Laudium, the pair have not bothered since, to even check with authorities if the cameras were working or even being monitored.
The CCTV cameras that were supposed to have been powered by solar panels and connected directly to law enforcement agencies’ control rooms and monitored by them, have seemingly not been in operation since inception. However to this day, there has been no mention to the community concerning the role the cameras have played in assisting police in the fight against crime. Residents have since complained that the solar panels of
the CCTV camera on Military Road, near the Itireleng Squatter Camp, have been stolen. Yet, no report has been given to the community by Naeem or Shaheen to this day, as to the theft of the panels or as to why the cameras were not monitored and had not been connected to the control room of the police.
Ryan Pillay of Delhi Ave, Laudium Ext 3, told the Laudium Sun, “I was not shocked at all when I noticed on Saturday morning that the solar panel, which was used to power the CCTV camera, had been stolen. I drive past the area every day and honestly, I’m really not surprised to see this happen, because this is exactly what we have been saying all along. There is absolutely no proper monitoring or follow-up by the authorities and no visible benefit of having these CCTV cameras installed around our area. I don’t see any point of installing CCTV cameras at the corner of our street or even near KFC, if no one is monitoring the footage or giving us any reports. So many crimes, especially car thefts and house break-ins, have taken place in our area, yet we have never heard of any of these CCTV footages being used to help identify suspects, or assist the police. It makes me wonder whether the cameras had ever functioned, or if they were just installed for political reasons, to show off and make it look like something was being done by the ANC government for the community. There are lots of questions on my mind. Who is actually responsible for managing and reviewing the CCTV footage? Who has access to it? Where is the footage being stored? If the government truly wants to keep the community safe, then there must be transparency. Residents should at least know whether the system is working or not. It’s frustrating when we see the government spending money to install equipment, but then within weeks it’s either vandalized, stolen, or completely useless. The fact that someone could so easily steal a solar panel that was meant to power the CCTV camera, shows how little protection and maintenance there really is. It’s almost like the government is indirectly giving criminals a free pass, allowing them to damage or steal public property without any consequences. This makes our area even more vulnerable because now that the CCTV system is down, criminals know there’s no surveillance. I really believe that unless there’s proper monitoring, regular maintenance and community feedback, these projects [CCTV] will continue to fail. The authorities and our leaders need to take real action, not just make big announcements. Cameras alone won’t stop crime, proper enforcement, follow-ups and accountability will. Cllr Patel should give a report to the
community together with the CPF. Until then, I honestly don’t see any point in having CCTV cameras at all. Instead of serving the community, it feels like they are serving no purpose other than to create headlines.”
continue to fail.
Maya Naidoo, another resident of Delhi Ave, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard that someone stole the solar panel which was used to power the Government-installed CCTV camera on our street. It is really frustrating because we don’t even see the purpose of those cameras anymore, as they are not helping the community in any meaningful way. We were told by Cllr Patel and the CPF that these cameras were meant to improve safety and help reduce crime in our area, but so far we have seen no real results or feedback about how effective they are. Many of us in the area feel that the CCTV installations were simply for show, just to make it look like something was being done, while in reality, crime continues in the area. Cars are still being stolen, houses are being broken into and there’s no evidence that these cameras have helped solve or prevented any of these crimes. If the cameras were truly serving their purpose, we would at least see some improvement or some arrests being made, using the footage. But we don’t even know whether the cameras ever worked and if ever anyone monitored them, or where the footage goes. Honestly, it feels like this is just a social media stunt to praise Councillor Patel and the CPF, or to gain some political attention. They come, install these cameras, take photos and make announcements, but after that, no one follows up. Now with the solar panel stolen, it’s even more useless.”
residents believe that the CCTV cameras were installed simply for show, to gain political attention, as crime continues in the area.
Jonathan Hennof, also of Delhi Ave, told the Laudium Sun, “I was completely stunned when our Councillor announced the installation of the CCTV camera on our street, yet up to now, we haven’t heard of any positive results. It’s very frustrating because the whole point of installing these cameras was to improve safety and reduce crime, but there is no evidence that it is or was serving that purpose. Residents keep asking questions about who monitors the footage, where is it kept and how it is being used, but there has been no response from the CPF or Cllr Patel so far.”