Major South African city wants to force residents, businesses, and security companies to register their CCTV cameras

The Ekurhuleni Metro has published a notice requiring residents, businesses and security companies to register their private closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems.

It said this must happen before Friday, 27 November 2026, and threatened 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.

The Freedom Front Plus objected to this requirement, saying it is counterproductive and will hamper crime-fighting.

“We endorse privacy rights and collaborative law enforcement, but the Metro’s punitive approach undermines the collaboration it supposedly wants to promote,” it said.

“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.”

The Freedom Front Plus said that giving thousands of stakeholders only two weeks’ notice before possibly issuing fines or removing equipment is unreasonable.

It added that many people and businesses with CCTV systems are not yet aware of the new requirements.

Another problem is that the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department will have to conduct administrative inspections of cameras.

This is infeasible, as it is constrained by manpower and resources and cannot afford to divert scarce law-enforcement capacity from actual crime-fighting.

The Freedom Front Plus has called on Ekurhuleni to postpone the deadline to give residents and businesses enough time to register their cameras.

“The city must also communicate clearly with the public by thoroughly informing them of the exact requirements and registration process,” it said.

“It must prioritise cooperation over punishment by first following an educational approach, before considering fines or punitive measures.”

The party added that EMPD resources must be protected to ensure its police officers can focus solely on crime fighting and are not burdened with administrative tasks.