City constantly repairs CCTV cameras at great risk
THE article “Cele slams faulty CCTV in Site C” (Cape Times, April 13) refers.
There is definitely an ongoing challenge with keeping CCTV cameras in Khayelitsha (and other areas around Cape Town) operational, amid rampant cable theft. In fact, your publication ran an article in the same edition about how cable theft is affecting the likes of the City and Eskom, so the problem is well documented.
The City is constantly repairing the cameras in Khayelitsha, under very trying circumstances. We have to deal with ongoing theft of power and fibre cables that are dug up by criminals.
At one stage, we changed our approach by installing the cables on wooden poles to prevent them being dug up. The criminals simply cut down the poles to steal the cables.
Other challenges are that Eskom has refused to replace a transformer in the area, as it has been stolen too often, which also impacts our operations.
Even our technicians are at risk. In one instance, we deployed a team of six technicians amid safety concerns. They were robbed at gunpoint of their equipment and personal effects by a gang of 10.
We have had instances where we alerted the SAPS to the theft of cables, but instead of apprehending the suspects, they chased them away. It therefore begs the question: How seriously does the SAPS take this issue?
We look forward to engaging with Minister Cele about CCTV and other crimerelated matters, because he is right in saying it needs a collective approach.
This includes the justice system taking cases of cable theft seriously and using the relevant legislation that has been enacted to crack down on cable theft.
Our national policies and related legislation recognise cable theft’s crippling impact on the economy and communities, but it means little without follow-through by the criminal justice system.
Also, for the record, Minister Cele’s claim that the CCTV camera in the vicinity of last week’s shooting incident has been non-operational for eight years is incorrect.
While it is true that it has been regularly targeted by thieves and vandals, we have records proving that it has been functional (when not sabotaged by criminals) in the last few years.