The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) strongly objects to the Ekurhuleni Metro’s sudden notice requiring residents, businesses and security companies to register their private closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras before Friday, 27 November 2026, and threatening that unverified cameras may be removed after that date.
The Metro claims that registering cameras is necessary to coordinate crime-fighting efforts, enforce privacy legislation and exercise control over municipal infrastructure.
Although the Freedom Front Plus endorses privacy rights and collaborative law enforcement, the Metro’s punitive approach undermines the collaboration it supposedly wants to promote.
Private cameras are indispensable for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) and the police in crime prevention and investigations. Residents who spend their own money to secure communities deserve cooperation, not threats.
Giving thousands of stakeholders barely two weeks before possibly issuing fines or removing equipment is unreasonable, particularly because many are not even aware of the new requirements yet.
Furthermore, the EMPD, which is already under severe manpower and resource constraints, cannot afford to divert scarce law-enforcement capacity away from actual crime fighting to conduct administrative camera inspections.
The Freedom Front Plus, therefore, calls on Ekurhuleni to:
•Postpone the deadline so that residents and businesses have enough time to register their cameras.
•Communicate clearly with the public by thoroughly informing them of the exact requirements and registration process.
•Prioritise cooperation over punishment by first following an educational approach, before considering fines or punitive measures.
•Protect EMPD resources so that metropolitan police officers can focus solely on crime fighting and are not burdened with administrative tasks.
