The South African Police Service is from April going to pilot a body-worn camera project which will see at least 100 bodycams introduced into the police force every year for the next five years.
In a written response to a parliamentary question from Democratic Alliance MP Mzamo Billy, police minister Senzo Mchunu said the deployment is aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the police service.
“The SAPS plans to initiate the procurement process with a target of acquiring 100 body-worn cameras annually. This phased approach will allow us to gradually integrate this technology across different units, ensuring a smooth transition and effective implementation,” Mchunu said in his reply to Billy.
According to Mchunu, the estimated cost for each bodycam is R28 818, meaning the project will at minimum cost R2.9-million/year and R14.4-million over five years.
In a statement, the DA criticised the plan to deploy only 100 bodycams a year as too few, especially “considering there are nearly 179 000 police officers in South Africa”.
“At only 100 cameras a year, the risk of this initiative being undermined by preventable losses is high. Without proper tracking and accountability measures, the roll-out could be whittled away to almost none within a few years,” said the DA’s Billy in the statement.
The bodycam initiative was first mooted by former police minister Bheki Cele in 2019, but setting a date for its implementation has taken a long time. According to a report in The Citizen, the SAPS finally sent out a request for information in November 2024. As part of the initiative, the police want to collaborate with municipalities and businesses to leverage live camera feeds as part of its crime-fighting arsenal.
Tech-led reforms
News of the bodycam project follows the promise of government-wide tech-driven reforms by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his state of the nation address earlier this month.
Ramaphosa mentioned the overhaul of the gov.za platform, the digitisation of home affairs and the establishment of a digital forensics lab among many other tech-led initiatives. It is now up to finance minster Enoch Godongwana to allocate the funds for these projects.
Read: DA calls for tougher Rica rules in crime fight
“It is important to note that while we are committed to this initiative, the overall budget for the procurement of body-worn cameras will be contingent upon the availability of funding,” Mchunu wrote in his reply to Billy. “The SAPS budget is currently under significant pressure due to emerging priorities and other critical needs.” — © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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