Durban - Amid rampant crime in the city, it has emerged that a significant number of CCTV cameras installed at prime spots within eThekwini Municipality are not operational.
The lack of working cameras in some areas was revealed by audit committee chairperson Siboniso Shabalala who was presenting a quarterly report for the period ending December 31, 2022 to members of the Executive Committee (Exco) yesterday.
“The maintenance of the cameras should be done as a matter of urgency,” said Shabalala.
He told Exco members that not one of the 30 cameras that the committee had inspected, which formed a representative sample, was working.
The issue of crime took centre stage at yesterday’s meeting, with calls for more responsive law-enforcement measures from the metro police.
Last week at least 10 people were shot dead in separate incidents in Durban.
DA Exco member Andre Beetge said it was not surprising that crime had reached such levels.
“It is absolutely no surprise that the cameras are not working because if they are, law-enforcement is able to track the movement of criminals from one camera to another and thereby catch them, but when they are not (operational) the criminals do as they please,” said Beetge.
In his opening remarks at the start of the meeting, eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda acknowledged that incidents of crime were concerning, adding that they warranted a firm response from the City, citing the killing of a municipal intern which left many people in shock.
“Last week we were shocked to learn of the gruesome murder of one of the city’s interns.
“At 24 years old, Luyanda Cele’s brutal killing highlights once more the high levels of gender-based violence (GBV) in our society. We say her name because we don’t want her to be just a statistic,” said the mayor.
He expressed the City leadership’s heartfelt condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Cele, and called for swift action against those responsible.
“We are pleading with law-enforcement agencies to ensure that the perpetrator or perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book and face the full might of the law,” the mayor stressed.
Exco member and deputy mayor Zandile Myeni, of the NFP, said there was a need for more officers to be deployed to patrol the areas that had been identified as crime hot spots within the municipality, as people were living in fear of criminals.
A suggestion that a crime symposium be hosted was approved by all Exco members.
The audit committee report will be presented at a full council meeting scheduled for tomorrow.
Responding to the committee’s concern on the non-functioning cameras, the City’s chief financial officer Sandile Mnguni, said they had noted the issues raised and were addressing them.
“I can confirm that the disaster section is working on ensuring that all cameras are working,” he said.