Page 31 - Ubuntu Repro Upload

By: Mthubanzi Mniki

Criminals in Nelson Mandela Bay better beware because the big brother Municipality is watching!

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is currently installing state-of-the-art CCTV cameras to monitor criminal activity in township hotspot areas in addition to the 836 camera’s installed at strategic crime hotspots in the city.

The additional CCTV cameras will be installed in Missionvale, Swartkops, Malabar high site, Soweto-On-Sea, Motherwell, Njoli Square and Ikamvelihle.

According to information contained in the Mid-Term Report, the Municipality far exceeded its target for installing fve additional CCTV cameras by installing 89 additional CCTV cameras for the quarter ended 31 December 2011. Some of the areas that have these new cameras are Central Hill in Parliament Street, the beachfront and Harrower Road.

In the current fnancial year, about 10 cameras are still to be installed, with more expected to come in the next fnancial year of 2012/13.

Portfolio Chairperson for Safety & Security, Cllr Wandisile Jikeka, said the Municipality is making great strides to fulfl the commitment made by the African National Congress to make crime fghting a priority.

“We want to root out crime in the city by working alongside the law enforcement institutions. We want to use all the tools at our disposal to fght crime. The installation of cameras in

the disadvantaged areas is a priority going forward,” said Cllr Jikeka.

“This is also in line with the Nelson Mandela Bay Council’s 80/20 policy that was adopted in the Integrated Development Plan of spending a large portion of the Budget to uplift and empower the disadvantaged communities,” said Cllr Jikeka.

“We want to create a safe, vibrant and sustainable community for the entire population of Nelson Mandela Bay, including the townships, central business district, the suburbs and the pre-urban areas,” said Cllr Jikeka.

Also on the horizon is the introduction of the Municipal Police Force, which is in its advanced stages after being gazetted by Human Settlements, Safety & Liaison MEC, Helen Sauls-August.

The process of training and vetting candidates for the Municipal Police Force is underway.

“We are progressing well with the municipal police force introduction. I am pleased with the progress made, and this serves as another indication that we as the Council are serious about fghting crime and creating safer communities,” said Cllr Jikeka.

The frst “Green Energy” CCTV system powered by a wind turbine has also been commissioned located south of the N2 bridge over the Swartkops River, and solar panels will be added at a later stage. The wind turbine generated CCTV is clearly visible from the N2, and makes for quite an impressive view.