‘Speeding days are over’ – City of Joburg signs three-year contract for speed cameras

The City of Joburg has signed a new contract with Syntell (Pty) Ltd for the provision of advanced law enforcement and crash management (ALECRAM) services for a period of three years.

According to MMC for Public Safety in the City of Joburg, David Tembe, the contract will come into effect just before the festive season traffic volume increase and will form part of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department’s (JMPD) strategy to combat road fatalities during this period.

“Syntell is a leader in end-to-end traffic law enforcement that provides cutting edge technology-based services and systems for road safety, traffic management and revenue collection. Their accident/crash management module will help the JMPD to link crashes to an exact position on a road and to determine the reason for the crash. This will provide the department with the means to address the factors contributing to crashes,” said Tembe on Tuesday.

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“We want to send a clear message to motorists that the City of Johannesburg has zero tolerance for lawlessness, drunk and reckless driving during this festive season. Gone are the days when motorists had free rein and could speed on our roads without any repercussions and with total disregard for rules of the road,” said Tembe.

The JMPD’s strategy for road safety during the festive season will entail roadblocks where motorists will be tested for road fitness, including drunk driving, and vehicles will be tested for roadworthiness.

Speed cameras not working

Earlier this year, the City of Joburg came under fire after JMPD spokesperson confirmed the City had not been conducting speed prosecutions or processing fines since June last year due to the absence of speed cameras.

Fihla said all automated and manual cameras were not working.

At the time, he told eNCA that this was due to the City of Joburg not having a service provider for speed cameras because of contractual obligations.

“The contract with the previous service provider ended on the 31st May last year and currently what I can tell you is that the contract is being evaluated and hopefully by July there should be a contract and a service provider so that we can resume with our speed enforcement,” Fihla told the channel.

As a result, the city lost millions due to not collecting the fines. Fihla said Joburg used to make about R3 million a month before the speed cameras went out.

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