Johannesburg’s CCTV By-Law: A Dangerous Step Towards Silencing Crime Awareness
The City of Johannesburg’s latest proposed by-law, which seeks to restrict the sharing of CCTV footage capturing criminal activity, is a blatant assault on free speech and community-led crime prevention. By making it unlawful for residents to share footage of crimes or suspects on social media, community police forums, or neighbourhood watch groups, the government is effectively shielding criminals from public scrutiny while leaving law-abiding citizens more vulnerable than ever.
Silencing the Truth
The rise of crime in South Africa has been well-documented through citizen journalism and real-time sharing of criminal incidents on platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and X.com. Social media has played a critical role in raising awareness and holding authorities accountable for their failure to combat crime. Crime Watch presenter Yusuf Abramjee, who frequently shares footage of criminal activity, rightly points out that social media has made the state’s failures too visible. This new by-law appears to be nothing more than an attempt to censor the public and prevent them from exposing the extent of Johannesburg’s crime crisis.
If the city succeeds in enforcing this regulation, the implications are chilling. Imagine a scenario where a car hijacking or a house robbery occurs, and a neighbour captures it on their security camera. Under this new law, that footage cannot be shared with the community to warn others or assist in identifying suspects. Instead, it must be handed over exclusively to law enforcement—an institution already struggling with inefficiency and corruption. How many cases will be swept under the rug before the public even knows they happened?
Aiding Criminals, Not Communities
Restricting the sharing of CCTV footage will only embolden criminals. The deterrent effect of public exposure has been instrumental in tracking down suspects, leading to numerous arrests. As Eblockwatch’s André Snyman rightly argues, many criminals would never have been caught without the vigilance of private citizens sharing footage online. So why remove such a crucial tool from communities working tirelessly to protect themselves?
Private security firms have also sounded the alarm. Vision Tactical warns that this regulation will create unnecessary obstacles for community-driven crime prevention efforts. Neighbourhood watch groups and business security networks rely heavily on CCTV footage to monitor and respond to threats. If criminals know their faces and actions will not be publicized, they will become bolder, putting even more lives at risk.
Flawed Justifications and Double Standards
Proponents of the by-law, such as CoJ public safety committee chairperson Sara Wissler, argue that restricting footage protects privacy, particularly in cases involving tragic events. But this argument falls flat when weighed against the greater public interest. If a criminal act is captured on video and the victim’s family does not wish for it to be shared, they should have a say in that specific case. However, applying a blanket ban on all footage is an overreach of power and sets a dangerous precedent.
Furthermore, the City of Cape Town’s approach proves that alternative solutions exist. As MMC for safety and security JP Smith highlights, their draft by-law does not prevent residents from sharing footage with CPFs or on social media. Smith also calls out the claim that public exposure interferes with identity parades or court cases, labelling it as baseless. Where is the evidence that a case has ever been thrown out due to video footage being shared online? The reality is that countless criminals are behind bars today because of vigilant citizens and social media exposure.
Who Benefits From This Law?
The Johannesburg municipality claims this by-law is about regulation, but the true beneficiaries seem to be criminals and an incompetent law enforcement system desperate to avoid accountability. Residents are expected to blindly trust authorities that have consistently failed to protect them, all while being stripped of their right to share critical crime-related information.
South Africans are already grappling with rampant crime, and now their right to warn each other is under attack. This by-law is not about responsible surveillance—it is about control. If the government succeeds in silencing crime awareness, what will they censor next?
Final Thoughts
Crime thrives in secrecy, and this proposed by-law does nothing but serve the interests of criminals and ineffective law enforcement agencies. If the government truly cared about protecting citizens, it would focus on improving policing, increasing convictions, and ensuring the justice system functions efficiently. Instead, they are targeting the very communities that are taking matters into their own hands to stay safe.
It’s time to ask: Who really benefits from keeping crime hidden? And more importantly, will the people of Johannesburg allow their voices to be silenced?
