Our community security cameras on our main gate are now in breach of the law as they are not registered.
A new By-law was introduced by the City Of Johannesburg in March this year with reference to CCTV cameras and any other type of cameras like dash cam, body cams etc. They say that these cameras normally film areas on public land so privacy laws have to be adhered to.
This is absolutely insane considering businesses and households have installed CCTV cameras to protect their own interests from crime. The numberplate recognition cameras are also deemed illegal which are run by private security firms. Only a criminal would think this is a very good idea as it takes away the evidence of them committing a crime due to the new by law and what is admissible in court. Camera footage is what is going to put people behind bars and they know this.
These types of surveillance cameras are only in place to tackle crime and to safeguard our own interests. If you have a camera at home you will have it covering the boundary wall so yes the public road outside will obviously be part of the area covered.
Having this bylaw makes any recording showing a crime taking place illegal and make that part make sense. The dash cam or cell phone cam used to film a corrupt police officer asking for bribes is also deemed illegal. You wonder the reason behind this and whose bright idea this was as there is definitely something not right and this is not about protecting the public, but more about protecting the criminal.
All CCTV cameras now need to be registered and licensed along with dash cam's which are only in place to protect yourself. This is another revenue racket that the City Of Johannesburg is trying to make more money for themselves which they will then steal via corrupt business deals. The CCTV licenses are renewable ach year and have to be applied 3 months in advance before expiry in order to be processed. Cameras that have been used to catch a crime taking place on film will not be accepted as evidence unless they have been registered. They do not want private footage of crimes hitting social media as it shows the city in a bad light. Understandable, but at the same time people need to be aware of what is -happening and not hide the crime.
This reminds me of the new electric fence laws which they would like to see monthly inspections and quarterly reports. This was originally quarterly inspections and yearly license renewals but that method may not make enough money for their greedy pockets.
The license recognition cameras are used by local security firms working in the suburbs and highlight stolen vehicles or cars with false plates coming into those areas to commit a crime. Crimes are being stopped before they happen protecting the people in the area yet they are deemed that they are overstepping privacy laws. Surely they are installed for the best interests of the people and criminals should not even be considered. This is woke ideology that I cannot wrap my head around because this will only generate more dead criminals if the crime increases. I expect new laws to happen if the body count rises which it surely will.
There is always a way to generate new revenue streams and security is an easy target as everyone needs this or has it already on situ. This reminds me of the new toll roads which were existing roads that had been there for decades becoming toll roads over night and people ignored the toll fees. I think I owed upwards of R100K according to their records and I refused to pay 1 cent. That blatant theft idea has since been scrapped so this is the next money play and it will not work.