MYBROADBAND: Vumacam training controversial Gauteng crime wardens

Vumacam says public officials from the Gauteng government who can view its CCTV camera feeds must undergo the same training and testing as private security officers.

The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) and Premier Panyaza Lesufi announced a partnership with Vumacam in February 2024, which gave the province access to over 6,000 cameras across Johannesburg and Pretoria for the purpose of enhancing law enforcement.

Shortly thereafter, the City of Joburg’s MMC for public safety, Mgcini Tshwaku, accused Lesufi of taking credit for the rollout when his metro had already started using the cameras a year ago.

Tshwaku, who is also a member of the EFF, said that some of the Gauteng provincial government’s controversial crime prevention wardens (CPWs), informally referred to amaPanyaza, were discovered in the Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s (JMPD’s) Integrated Intelligence Operations Centre (IIOC).

“After Panyaza’s bogus launch, I went to check [with the] Vumacam guys at our IIOC,” Tshwaku told News24.

“That’s when I saw the crime warden guys and some of the senior provincial traffic personnel — without any approval from me, the mayor, city manager, or council,” he said. “They came through the back door.”

Lesufi’s office subsequently told News24 that five CPWs had been allocated to the IIOC since October 2023 “as per the agreement with their management”.

“This deployment is a crucial component of their on-the-job training programme; they are not working on any system but just monitoring cameras,” the premier’s spokesperson said.

The crime wardens have raised concerns from the general public and security experts since their seemingly rushed deployments in early 2023.

An investigation by Daily Maverick in August 2023 showed that the initial deployment of the CPWs was unlawful, as it would have required a formal request and approval from the Minister of Justice.

While the GPG sent a request in June 2023, no permission was granted for the CPWs to be deployed until December 2023, when the Department of Justice released a statement stating that the wardens must assume the same legal status as Gauteng provincial traffic offer, also called provincial inspectors.

“Provincial traffic officers currently carry out their duties within the ambit of their peace officer designation, supported by the necessary legal framework.”

They differ from municipal or metro officers in that their duties are limited to ensuring compliance with the National Road Traffic Act, National Land Transport Act, and Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act.

“They control traffic, inspect vehicles for roadworthiness and enforce road traffic signs and rules of the road,” Arrive Alive explains.

Metro police officers can also engage in crime prevention and the enforcement of municipal by-laws.

Despite this distinction, the CPWs have continued to conduct crime prevention duties with the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Defence experts have also taken particular issue with a new batch of 500 wardens recently beginning to train under the South African National Defence Force rather than the SAPS.

While this could equip them with basic skills including fitness, first aid, and firearms, it does not cover the legal aspects that go with law enforcement, which SAPS officers are trained to understand.

Vumacam said it worked to the highest privacy and data security standards to ensure that its systems and their use were compliant with the law and all relevant regulations.

“We apply the same standards to all clients — whether public or private,” it stated.

The company said it was performing an ongoing and intensive mentoring and training programme with staff from the GPG to make them proficient in monitoring, regulation, and other analytical and tactical skills.

“Once their training and mentoring is complete, they are required to meet the same testing and qualification standards that exist for all system users,” Vumacam said.

“They will also benefit from ongoing support from Vumacam.”

Limited access to camera feeds

Vumacam also reiterated that those appointed to monitor cameras are not able to access their feeds at any time.

Vumacam uses dark screen technology, which only brings up a camera feed when AI-powered systems detect an incident that triggers an alert.

Vumacam said in cases where a feed is requested to investigate a particular incident, the GPG must go through the same approval and submit the same documentation as private security companies.

“This footage is then stored in a secure vault which may only be accessed by those with relevant need and approval to do so,” Vumacam said.

“Were any user to observe feed on one or more cameras without valid cause for doing so, this would be flagged by our systems.”

In addition, Vumacam said it had rigorous controls and two-factor authentication to ensure that all system usage was regulated, monitored and audited.

“If any system abuse were to take place, it would be flagged and immediately investigated. Any necessary legal recourse would follow.”

Vumacam added that its systems and technology were compliant with the Protection of Private Information Act and subjected to regular penetration testing.

“While nefarious attempts or abuse of a system are plausible on any systems or technology, Vumacam’s systems are the most advanced in terms of CCTV security and privacy in South Africa, if not the world.”

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