Bulawayo City Council to roll out CCTV camera project

BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) in partnership with Tendy Three Investments (TTI) is set to roll out the first phase of the camera surveillance project on the city's major roads in February to help curb crime and enhance the easy flow of traffic.

The cameras will check the speed at which vehicles are travelling at robots or traffic violations, conduct traffic counts by recording vehicles passing through, and record the areas surrounding the traffic installations.

The move by the local authority comes at a time when Government is also planning to set up security cameras in smart cities, starting with the capital Harare, to curb crime and enhance the easy flow of traffic.

The initiative will be launched under the Smart Zimbabwe Master Plan which will guide the country's various smart cities initiatives.

A "Smart City" is one that uses information communication technologies to improve operational efficiency, share information with the public and provide quality services to improve citizens' welfare.

The security cameras also referred to as public safety cameras can be used for detecting and deterring crimes and as such they safeguard members of the public against potential threats and also help manage emergency response during disasters.

The security cameras also assist in spotting anti-social behaviour and preventing vandalism as well as monitor city traffic flow on intersections and roadways thereby alerting officials to possible threats or incidents.

Government adopted the smart city concept, which is a global phenomenon, as part of the country's modernisation thrust.

In an interview, TTI managing director Mr Lizwe Mabuza said the first Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras will be installed from 13th Avenue to 6th Avenue along Robert Mugabe Way and Fife Street in the city centre.

 "We have started rolling out the street cameras programme where we are looking at having the first phase done by February next year. We are starting from 13th Avenue to 6th Avenue along Robert Mugabe Way and Fife Street," he said.

Mr Mabuza said the cameras were a precursor to the installation of the gadgets on major roads in Bulawayo.

"That will be phase one as we will be testing how the system will operate. Having cameras installed on the streets will help in the fight against crime, especially theft from cars," he said.

 "Through these cameras, police will be able to view the footage which will help in tracking down criminals thus creating a peaceful atmosphere which is also good for investment because no business would want to operate in a crime-ridden city."

Mr Mabuza said his company will also rehabilitate some of the city's badly damaged roads, particularly between 3rd Avenue and 6th Avenue in the city centre.

 "At the moment, as TTI we are employing 356 workers, and most of them are aged 30 years and below, and they are all locals. As we expand our parking bays, we have to rehabilitate some of the roads, especially from 3rd Avenue to 6th Avenue and this will result in us employing another 100 youths," he said.

Recently, BCC spokesperson, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu told our sister paper, the Sunday News that the local authority generated US$700 000 in revenue between January and October from its parking bays.

She said the money would be channelled towards the rehabilitation of the city's road network.

Mrs Mpofu said 75 percent of the city roads were in a bad state with over US$700 million required to rehabilitate them.