City targets one CCTV camera per 243 residents

The City of Windhoek plans to ramp up its surveillance network from 458 installed CCTV cameras to 2 000 by 2027, or about one camera for every 243 residents.The Namibia Statistics Agency’s 2023 census recorded 486 186 people in urban Khomas, which comprises Windhoek, providing the official population benchmark used for the calculation.The municipality has already acquired 1 431 cameras towards its 2027 target, although only 458 have been mounted and installed.Another 973 are awaiting deployment and are expected to be installed by December.Once the cameras already acquired are installed, the City’s surveillance network will have more than tripled from 458 to 1 431 cameras, leaving another 569 required to reach the 2 000 target.City of Windhoek chief executive officer Moses Matyayi told Namibian Sun that the expansion forms part of the municipality’s smart policing strategy.The surveillance ambitions could eventually extend beyond the 2 000-camera target, he said.During a smart policing strategy presentation on 23 September, City Police chief Leevi Ileka put the existing network at approximately 500 cameras and outlined plans to eventually expand it to between 3 000 and 5 000 cameras across Windhoek.N$47.5 million investedMatyayi said the CCTV rollout has attracted a total investment of N$47.5 million to date, with the municipality contributing about N$30.6 million from its own funds.The remaining N$16.9 million has come from corporate and community partners.“These are funded from blended funding sources, through our own funds as well as from sponsorships by our corporate partners such as MVA, PowerCom, MTC, Khomas Regional Council, Dorado Park Neighbourhood Watch, Inner City Lutheran, Albatross Street Residents, Banks, Diesel Electric, and Rhino Park,” Matyayi said.The cameras form part of the City’s broader ‘Safer Windhoek’ programme, which is being implemented through the City Police.“We are currently implementing community engagement sessions to sensitise motorists and residents of the operationalisation of the smart policing technology to improve crime prevention and reduction in and around Windhoek,” Matyayi said.The expansion comes against mixed crime trends in the capital.During the first five months of 2026, robberies declined by 22%, housebreaking by 27% and theft by 7% compared with the corresponding period last year.Armed robberies, however, increased by 10%, while assaults with intent to cause grievous bodily harm rose by 19%.Wider technology upgradeThe CCTV rollout forms part of a broader technology modernisation programme being undertaken by the municipality.“We have replaced approximately 900 desktop and laptop computers across the organisation [and replaced] 130 network switches to improve network performance, reliability, and capacity,” Matyayi said.The municipality has also initiated a data centre modernisation programme aimed at strengthening its communications infrastructure, business continuity and disaster recovery systems.Several municipal services are also being moved online, with the City testing an online building plan submission system, integrated online payments and online service application forms.

City targets one CCTV camera per 243 residents

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-07

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City targets one CCTV camera per 243 residents

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-07

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