In January 2023, during a meeting at the Kyalami Country Club, we provided an overview of where we would like to move towards in terms of a security solution for the Kyalami AH Ext 1 area. You can download the presentation here.
The overall vision we have for the area includes implementing 3 solutions:
- Street cameras that are monitored remotely.
- A single private security company responsible for the whole area with dedicated vehicles.
- Road closures.
During this presentation we also highlighted that, the implementation of these solutions will not be possible in a short period of time, but will probably take many months if not years to complete. Areas around us started their projects many years ago and some of them are still ongoing. We are basically starting from scratch so it is a long, complicated and tedious process.
However, we have already started to make some progress, especially on the street camera project. We believe that this would be the “easier” of the 3 projects mentioned and should therefore take priority.
Camera Project
We kicked off the camera project early on in the year.
The project is set out as follows:
- Discovery phase – learn about camera networks, what works and what doesn’t, determine what is required.
- Quotation phase – based on our findings, create a RFQ document and get quotes from providers.
- Selection phase – once all information is at hand, provide options for community to vote on.
- Implementation phase – start installation of cameras for phase 1.
- Stabilization phase – once up and running, refine and fine tune setup.
The first part of the project was to get a better overview of the various solutions the surrounding areas implemented, and to get feedback on what worked well and what didn’t. We had to learn about the various cameras that would be suitable for us, how they are powered (solar power or from the Eskom grid), how they are connected to the internet (fiber, wifi, or 4G) and how they are monitored (by private security companies, off site monitoring companies. or by private individuals).
Apart from this, we needed to find out what the initial capital investment would be for these various solutions, what the monthly running costs would be, maintenance fees, insurance fees etc.
In order to gather the above information, we met with committee members from neighbouring areas, camera providers/installers and off site monitoring companies.
From the discovery phase, the outcome was as follows:
- Best camera type – Hikvision, IP Cameras, 4mp ColorVu bullet cameras, 2mp ANPR cameras
- Best connection type – fiber
- Best power solution – grid tied. However, due to loadshedding, solar powered solution is preferable.
- Best monitoring solution – Independent company including CPF members in area.
For the above solution, we have already received 1 quote, and are waiting for a few more from other companies. For the initial capital outlay for phase 1 of the camera project, we are looking at a cost in the region of R200 000.00.
In our area, Metrofiber has the most fiber coverage out of all the various service providers and it would make sense to utilize their fiber lines for the camera network. In discussions with the company that does the installation of fiber lines for Metrofiber, we received the unfortunate news that the existing network in our area is at capacity and we would not be able to make use of the existing infrastructure. Instead they would have to install additional fiber lines, at great cost, if we wanted to make use of their network. We are currently waiting for the quote for this.
Not giving up, we are currently exploring a solution where each pole would be fitted with a 4G router with a sim card that would allow the feed from the cameras to be sent out via the internet. The main concern here is that the monthly costs would be too high because of the amount of data that would be used and whether the signal coverage in the area would be a problem.
We have also made contact and met with representatives of Metro-i, a subsidiary of MetroFiber. Metro-i specializes in security solutions including camera networks, much like the well known Vumacam. Their solutions makes use of the latest technology featuring AI and other smart solutions. They are also in the process of creating a packaged solution for us which should be in our inboxes soon.
Single Private Security Company
In order to appoint a single private security company in the area, KEROA needs to have the mandate from the majority of the residents living in the area. This is so that we have a guaranteed monthly income to fund this solution.
At this point in time, our membership is still relatively low, with a total of 75 members.
To have a single dedicated vehicle in the area will cost roughly R75 000.00 per month. We believe that for our area, we require a minimum of 2 vehicles. This would, based on current estimates, cost R150 000.00 per month. If we take this amount and divide it by the total number of KEROA members, that would work out to R2 000.00 per month per person, which we believe is still too much. By doubling the number of KEROA members, the amount drops to R1 000.00 per month.
Another view on this is to focus on the number of properties in the area (instead of individuals since there could be more than 1 KEROA member per property) where the owner of the property is a KEROA member. There are roughly 189 properties within Kyalami AH Ext 1 and to make it feasible to have two dedicated vehicles in the area, we would need to have at least 150 properties where the owners are KEROA members.
Therefore, once the KEROA member numbers are above 150, we could start the implementation of this project.
Road Closures
We have the unique disadvantage of being the last area to implement road closures within the greater Kyalami area. Because of this, most of the traffic that would have passed through other areas, are now passing through our area, making it even more difficult to close of roads.
The two main thoroughfares in our area are Zinnia road and Maple road. Because of the amount of traffic these roads currently carry, it is unlikely that we would be able to get approval to implement any form of road closers on them. Since we cannot implement road closures on the outer borders of our area, as was done in Beaulieu and Glenferness, we would instead need to focus on the inner roads between Zinnia and Maple road.
In the map below, we have determined 4 areas within Kyalami AH Ext 1 where road closures could possibly be applied, with each area seen as independent from the others. Please note that the below map if the individual areas is not finalized, and could change in future.

Road closures are also more workload intensive to implement as various consultation sessions would need to be done with the residents of the affected areas. We will therefore look at creating a road closure sub committee to work on this project, with stakeholders in each of the affected areas.
At this point in time, the road closure project would continue but as mentioned previously, that the main priority at this stage is the camera project.
We thank you for your patience and look forward to provide you with more updates in the near future.
Regards,
KEROA Safety and Security Portfolio