By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi signed a memorandum of understanding with Vumacam to give the province access to data from the 6 911 CCTV cameras that the company owns and operates.
Vumacam has a large network of cameras across the province that use advanced recognition tools to identify and track potential criminal actors across multiple camera feeds.
Lesufi said the move is inspired by the unacceptable levels of crime in the province, which require the government to up its game.
Crime statistics in the province for the third quarter show that crime remains high compared to other provinces, despite a 2.6% decline.
Murder, attempted murder and common assault increased during the third quarter, while rape and sexual assault decreased.
Lesufi has also deployed 6000 crime prevention wardens in the province in a bid to fight crime and safeguard infrastructure.
“If I can fail to fight crime in our province, I will hand over my resignation tomorrow,” said Lesufi.
“I’m gatvol with crime. We can’t be held hostage in our own country, in our own province by criminals. We can’t be scared of even our own shadows because these criminals can pounce at any time. We can’t be at the mercy of criminals and pretend and behave as if we have lost this battle. If you have lost this battle against criminals, do not count on me. I’m still standing, and I’ll fight these criminals until they leave this province and go wherever they want to go.
“I’m fighting crime to protect my child and my child’s child and the family of Gauteng so that they can live in peace in our own province. Every 14 seconds, a woman is raped, and almost every minute, somebody is murdered. We are the murder capital of our country.
Lesufi said all Gauteng car registration numbers will also be revamped in an effort to fight crime.
“When we sign these cameras, I’m not signing for pleasure but signing to protect South Africans. I’m not ready to surrender to anyone. It hurts me. In daylight, people close highways rob a cash heist for almost 13 minutes, and nothing happens. This cannot repeat itself on our highways.
“We are bringing almost 180 drones that can monitor the sky at any moment in our province. From 1 April in Gauteng, we are revamping the car registration numbers of all the cars. We are starting afresh, all of us. Every person that has a car must re-register and get a new registration number that can’t be copied, can’t be removed, and that is reliable.”
The Gauteng provincial government has allocated R2.8bn to fighting crime, which includes the Vumacam deal. Lesufi announced his plan last year, which will ultimately use drones, helicopters and panic buttons to catch criminals and improve response time by law enforcement.
Lesufi also said Gauteng based BMW is now preparing to unleash their new hydrogen vehicles, which will create jobs while preserving the environment.