THE Gauteng Provincial Government notes the statement issued by the Democratic Alliance regarding the provincial CCTV rollout programme and wishes to place the matter in proper context.
The CCTV project remains one of the most significant technology-driven crime prevention interventions undertaken by the Gauteng Provincial Government to support law enforcement agencies in combating crime and improving community safety across the province.
To date, 960 CCTV cameras have been installed in strategic areas across Gauteng as part of governments broader commitment to building safer communities through smart policing and integrated technology systems.
The overwhelming majority of these cameras remain operational and continue to assist law enforcement authorities with surveillance, monitoring, investigations and rapid response interventions.
Importantly, the Gauteng Department of e-Government has already instituted corrective measures to restore affected sites and strengthen the resilience of the system. Maintenance teams are actively attending to non-functional sites while additional interventions are being implemented to improve infrastructure protection, battery durability and system reliability.
The Democratic Alliance deliberately creates the impression that government has abandoned the system, which is simply not true.
Continuous maintenance and upgrades form part of the operational lifecycle of any large-scale technology infrastructure project, including networks.
It is also misleading for the DA to suggest that the existence of maintenance costs are evidence of failure. Every sophisticated surveillance and security network globally requires ongoing maintenance, software support, equipment replacement and infrastructure protection. The projected maintenance budget reflects responsible planning to ensure long-term sustainability and uninterrupted operation of the system.
The Gauteng Provincial Government remains committed to ensuring value for money for taxpayers while strengthening crime prevention capabilities throughout the province.
The CCTV programme continues to provide critical support to law enforcement agencies and contributes significantly to efforts aimed at reducing criminal activity and improving public safety.
Rather than exploiting operational challenges for narrow political gain, all stakeholders should support initiatives aimed at making Gauteng safer for all residents.
The Gauteng Provincial Government will continue working with law enforcement agencies, municipalities and community stakeholders to enhance surveillance capabilities, improve system performance and ensure that the province remains at the forefront of smart policing innovations in South Africa.
