Vumacam – Vumacam

The Facts Regarding the Integrated Smart Camera Network

3 December 2019, Johannesburg. Vumacam clarifies misinformation circulating via various platforms and media outlets regarding the Vumacam integrated smart camera network. Vumacam does not have facial recognition technology enabled in its street cameras, does not profile, and the organisation takes data security and privacy seriously. WHAT IS THE VUMACAM INTEGRATED SMART CAMERA NETWORK? Vumacam has built the infrastructure to host an integrated smart camera network to assist with crime fighting initiatives across the city of Johannesburg. “We acknowledge that the country is grappling with a crime pandemic and are confident that our integrated network of street CCTV cameras will go a long way to tackle crime. Not only as a deterrent but also to effectively apprehend perpetrators and do our [...]read more

Unusual Event Alert in Action

Take a look at the following real incident which was caught on private space cameras recently in Johannesburg. These private space cameras were erected in a high cellphone theft area utilising the same behavioural analytics software programme used by Vumacam clients. https://www.vumacam.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Untitled.mp4 In this instance, the unusual behaviour alert was noted. Should the Vumacams in the area have been fully live and connected, the following scenario would have taken place: Due to the number of muggings and thefts on this street, the software will analyse all movement/imagery on the perimeter of the building. The system will then generate alerts based on unusual behaviour. These will either be dismissed by a system rule or delivered to an operator in real-time to dismiss or escalate. The [...]read more

Vumacam Not In the Business of Tracking Movements

Vumacam does not track movements or any particular person. We do not keep a record of personal or private information that would allow us to identify the identity of any person captured by the Vumacams, nor are our cameras making use of any facial recognition software. This makes it impossible to “track” movements and link personal data to people. While all number plates passing a camera are captured, only if this plate is present on a database of known vehicles of interest (for instance the SAPS Unicode database of stolen and wanted vehicles) will an alert be generated to the security company. Once they receive this alert, they are able to access the image. The users in the security company […]

City Power update

Dear Resident/Customer, CITY POWER UPDATE Following on from our previous communication regarding the letter of demand City Power served to Vumacam, we have formally replied to this letter to say that we have a difference of opinion relating to the legal issues raised. It is important to let you know that we have also subsequently met with the Chief Executive Officer of City Power, Mr Lerato Setshedi, and his team, in a very constructive spirit to work on solving the matters related to the supply of power to the camera poles. Both parties have agreed to reserve their differing legal interpretations of the relevant legislation and regulations concerning the matter, pending the work of the duly appointed, joint technical, legal [...]read more

Vumacam and City Power: Electrical connections

Dear Resident/Customer, RE: VUMACAM PROPRIETARY LIMITED // CITY POWER, JOHANNESBURG: ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS We have received communication from numerous customers and certain residents about correspondence which has been circulating on social media – primarily WhatsApp groups, Twitter and Facebook – and which emanates from City Power Johannesburg. Vumacam wishes to highlight two important issues: We engaged with City Power in 2017 prior to setting up Vumacam, and prior to commencing with the roll out of our CCTV Network, and we approached City Power requesting direct access to electricity supplied by City Power itself. In a meeting with City Power, it was discussed at length the most efficient way for Vumacam to access secure and stable electricity connections to individual cameras. Vumacam [...]read more

Eblockwatch Mandela Day “Ambush”

Eblockwatch Mandela Day “Ambush” kick starts Eblockwatch’s bold Alex initiative. In the hopes of establishing a more structured security network in the Alexandra community, eblockwatch started a projected called the Alexandra Patrollers over a decade ago. The nature of the support took the form of “please call me” or SMS’ sent by the patrollers when a resident was in trouble or under threat and there would be a response by Snyman’s team with security reaction. These patrollers fondly became known as the Alexandra Mamas: a group of older ladies who implemented a simple, yet effective system of strolling down the streets, wrapped in warm blankets and armed with whistles which they blew if they noticed criminal activity. Working with the […]

AI Surveillance Success Story

“Now that I am working with Vumacam, there is a distinct difference between life before and life after the arrival of Vumacam. Where Vumacam really filled the gap was in two instances: the exceptional uptime of the feed and the quality of the footage. Having been in the surveillance sector for some time, I can say with confidence that before Vumacam, footage was always missing. Often this was not for any sinister reason, but because cameras were down and no one would know about this until they needed footage. Prior to Vumacam, I experienced regular instances where the connectivity was always poor; the service would go down and we would have to wait for ‘someone’ to fix it. What the […]

MAIL&GUARDIAN: SA’s suburban camera creep tests privacy

A thousand private surveillance cameras have been rolled out in Johannesburg. They watch every person and car that moves near them. If their algorithms pick up something strange — such as a licence plate known to be linked to crimes — the security companies that rent the data can react. Vumacam, one of the companies responsible, says a total of 16 000 cameras will be in place in the next 12 months. Thanks to their security abilities, the cameras have been warmly welcomed by some as a way to curb crime, but others view them as an invasion of privacy and have questioned whether such surveillance is lawful. Information regulator Pansy Tlakula says her office has already received complaints. Under current […]

RANDBURG SUN: Cameras for your safety

The UFOs have landed. Numerous poles with strange grey pods have popped up on street corners all over the city, leaving many wondering exactly what their purpose is. Well, in case you haven’t heard, these new poles are for Vumacam, and it aims to revolutionise the way security operates in Joburg. Security cameras will be attached underneath each pod and will allow private security companies to monitor them via Vumatel’s fibre network. Right now, the operation is live and actively deploying across the city, but their plans are big for the entire country. Gavin Hill is the director of Highpeak based in Sharonlea, one of the companies working with Vumacam and is responsible for network monitoring, system troubleshooting, and a […]

MONEYWEB: Vumatel to blanket Joburg in CCTV camera’s

The company plans to spend R500m covering Johannesburg with CCTV systems. Have you wondered about the camera poles popping up in suburbs across Johannesburg and who’s building them? The mystery has been solved: Vumatel subsidiary Vumacam is responsible — it is building a citywide CCTV network offering ultra-high-definition video feeds to security companies and ultimately law-enforcement agencies. Vumacam is utilising Vumatel’s fibre network infrastructure in the city to connect the cameras, more than 900 which have already been deployed (capable of carrying 3 000 CCTV cameras). It plans to roll out a total of 15 000 cameras across the city, with much of the deployment expected to be completed in the next 12 months. Vumacam plans to sell the video feeds to neighbourhood […]