The South African government is planning to deploy remotely-piloted aircraft systems, commonly known as drones, to assist in the surveillance of the country’s mission-critical assets.
So said president Cyril Ramaphosa, responding to questions from Members of Parliament in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa told NCOP members that the plan is to immediately appoint security
personnel that will use the drones to conduct virtual patrols of high-risk infrastructure.This capability, he said, will work together with specialised investigations and armed response.
“The plan will also involve the creation of an internal security capability for armed response, control room operations as well as increasing the number of physical security officials on the ground.
“An e-guarding solution will be introduced for the protection of mission-critical assets, such as sub-stations, relay rooms and communication sites, with early warning security technology
and defence security systems.“The plan will also introduce specialised investigations with legal support and access
to criminal laboratories.“We believe this capability will improve the quality of investigation reports, leading to an improved prosecution rate,” he stated.
This isn’t the first time the South African government has explored the use of drones for surveillance purposes.
Earlier this month, defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told Parliament that government plans to deploy surveillance drones along parts of the Beitbridge border post, to address security challenges posed by border-jumpers and smugglers.
This, as the state attempts to strengthen security at the border, especially with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the R37 million border fence project being launched.
In the Western Cape, the Department of Tourism announced last year plans to introducedrones and install cameras to ensure the safety of tourists visitingTable Mountain.