The City of Johannesburg has signed in a new bylaw that could make outlaw many existing CCTV camera installations, and make it more onerous for property owners to secure their premises.
In terms of the new bylaws, any CCTV camera that has a view of a public space will have obtain formal approval from the municipality.
In addition, existing privately owned surveillance systems monitoring public spaces must be added to a database held by the City.
Vumacam has raised objections to critical provisions of the by-laws, which were promulgated on Friday, 28 February 2025.
The company has issued a statement to this effect: “As a supporter of lawful, fair, and reasonable regulation, Vumacam notes with concern that it sought to provide the City with legally founded insight regarding key aspects of the by-law prior to its approval and promulgation.
“However, the final version has not considered this input, and raises concerns about its impact on private CCTV users and security operations.”
Vumacam adds that it has partnered with the City of Johannesburg, public law enforcement and private security operators, Vumacam to use technology in the fight against crime – with positive reults. “The success of this partnership demonstrates what is possible when advanced technology and public safety initiatives come together.”
The company points out that CCTV technology also plays a significant role in combating insurance fraud, the verification of insurance claims, asset protection and recovery, and by-law enforcement.
“However, having considered the promulgated by-laws, Vumacam’s view is that the legislation in its current form places significant, unlawful restrictions on privately-owned CCTV cameras, which are onerous and overly restrictive to commercial, private and residential camera owners,” it states.
“For operators like Vumacam, the by-laws have created significant uncertainty. The challenges introduced to operating its services will make them economically unviable in the current economic climate. By prohibiting existing use of CCTV by businesses, the by-laws will have a detrimental effect on many industries across the City and may limit the technology’s efficacy and further growth.
“The new by-laws also appear to limit how the private security industry can use CCTV to protect the communities they serve. Vumacam believes this is a step backwards in the critical fight to protect all citizens and grow the economy, as many private security operators have used surveillance technologies to great effect in the last few years.
“Vumacam supports the implementation of by-laws which encourage the private use of surveillance technologies and aid the growth of CCTV-based security systems by providing greater certainty to residents, law enforcement and users. This growth is key to supporting enhanced standards of living for communities across the city and continuing the significant success of the crime-fighting collaboration between law enforcement, the City and private security.”