A Glen Marais resident has expressed concern about a new system introduced by the metro whereby pictures are taken of houses where final notices are being delivered.
The concerned resident, whose mother took a photograph of one of the contractors taking pictures, said: “I am not sure about other residents but I am uncomfortable with the fact that people are taking photos of properties as one is never sure of their intention or what is mentioned to whom.
“This is also an ideal cover for criminals who have ill intentions and are searching for their next target,” he said.
“I find it very intrusive that photos are taken of properties and this is, however, still no proof that a ratepayer has in fact received a final notice.”
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality implemented an electronic system whereby the delivery of final notices to inform affected consumers of pending disconnection are captured and reported on a smart phone device which automatically downloads to a linked server.
“This is to ensure that at all times visual proof can be supplied to any party querying such delivery and further the validity of disconnection of services as a notice is proven to have been delivered in the prescribed period and manner as required by legislation,” a metro spokesman said.”The delivery of the final notice is recorded by means of a photo taken of the notice placement in the gate/post box, as well as a photo of the property where the notice has been delivered to. The device, further as a check, records the GPS coordinates of the photo taken and imprints such on the task.
“The metro wishes to allay any concerns of residents as the photos taken are automatically downloaded onto a server via the handset and is not accessible to any member of public or designated official. The possibility of abuse is limited to the minimum as the only reason for the photos taken is to ensure proper proof of delivery.”
Any functionality of a phone devise is removed and the only communication link available is between the server and the handset.
All contractors in the employment of the metro must have valid ID tags, clearly identifying themselves as contractors employed by Ekurhuleni.
Should any resident have any doubt of the person taking photos, the contractor can be requested to furnish proof of identity as well as the metro can be contacted for verification.
