Another multi-million rand surveillance project managed by the City of Cape Town has quietly ended, leaving Black communities in the Cape Flats to question who truly benefits from these expensive security contracts. The ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection system, now rebranded as SoundThinking, has run its course and is under review.
This follows the Cape Argus revealing that the City's R100 million Eye in the Sky aerial surveillance contract was cancelled in August 2025 due to non-compliance. A new 36-month aerial surveillance tender, seeking providers of aerial Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services, was advertised between May 15 and June 18, 2026. Safety and Security mayco member JP Smith confirmed the City is not at liberty to disclose its latest tender relating to safety and security.
What was the real purpose of ShotSpotter in Cape Town?
The City first launched the ShotSpotter technology as a pilot program in Hanover Park in 2016. It was then deployed in Hanover Park, Manenberg, and Lavender Hill, among other areas, starting in 2023. The system used acoustic sensors and drones to pinpoint gun violence flare-ups. Smith claimed the technology was very useful for alerting staff to active shooting incidents and identifying hotspots.
However, the metro is still experiencing devastating levels of violence. Ten areas in Cape Town frequently rank among the highest nationwide for murder and attempted murder. Jay Jay Idel, executive director at Fight Against Crime SA (FACSA), said communities are entitled to ask whether ShotSpotter achieved its intended objectives.
This raises a fundamental question: what was the purpose and effectiveness of ShotSpotter in the first place?Idel stated.
Why do expensive security contracts keep failing the Cape Flats?
In 2023, the City stated it was investing approximately R860 million over three years in safety technology, including CCTV cameras, drones, body cameras, dashcams, aerial surveillance, and gunshot detection systems. Despite this massive spending, the structural violence plaguing Black neighborhoods remains unaddressed. These technologies treat the symptoms of historical dispossession, not the root causes.
Sandra Dickson, founder of STOP CoCT, raised critical questions about the new aerial surveillance tender.
Will there again be only one bidder? What lessons were learned from the failed joint venture? What will the financial exposure be this time?Dickson asked. Smith responded that the City gained valuable operational insights from the failed Eye in the Sky contract.
Surveillance or profiteering in marginalized communities?
The pattern is clear. The City pours hundreds of millions of rand into surveillance technology for Black neighborhoods, yet the violence persists. When these contracts fail or expire, the City simply readvertises them, often shielding the details from the public. The people of Hanover Park, Manenberg, and Lavender Hill deserve economic investment and social upliftment, not acoustic sensors that monitor their suffering without ending it. The colonial legacy of policing Black bodies instead of empowering Black lives continues under the guise of public safety.
Did ShotSpotter reduce crime in Cape Town?
No. Despite the City investing approximately R860 million in safety technology and deploying ShotSpotter in areas like Hanover Park and Manenberg, ten Cape Town areas still rank among the highest nationwide for violent crimes, including murder and attempted murder.
What is the City of Cape Town's new surveillance tender?
The City of Cape Town has advertised a new 36-month aerial surveillance tender for providers of aerial Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services to support public safety operations, following the failure of the R100 million Eye in the Sky contract.