Gauteng plans AI cameras in school classrooms to keep violent kids in check
Gauteng education MEC Lebogang Maile has announced plans to strengthen school safety in the province, which could include equipping classrooms with AI-powered cameras and biometric access.
In a presentation on 2 June 2026, Maile said his vision included armed response systems to protect learning environments from misconduct, violence, ill-discipline, and other unlawful acts.
Gauteng education spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana shared further details on the plans in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
“There’s been intervention in schools. These include having cameras, but the MEC wants to take it further,” Lubhelwana said.
“He wants to take it to the extent of having biometric systems and AI-powered cameras, which recognise the face and some other body parts.”
Lubhelwana explained that corporates had approached the department, including a “big company” that previously renovated a school.
“Some are coming to assist in terms of tech, such as cameras inside the classroom. Not everyone is looking for a tender; many are patriotic and want to help make the schools work,” he said.
Through these interventions, the Gauteng Department of Education, Sport, Art, and Culture hopes to bring an end to the spate of violent incidents observed at many of the province’s schools.
“The schools are a reflection of society. There is a spillover of what is happening in our communities. It is reflected in our schools,” Lubhelwana said in another interview with SABC News.
“Part of this includes exposure to violence. This includes domestic violence, it includes children being exposed to criminality in their communities and unfavourable upbringing spaces.”
He said the department had observed more incidents of learner-on-learner violence and of learners attacking teachers or other school workers.
Asked about the proliferation of weapons such as guns in schools, Lubhelwana said the MEC was calling on the community to volunteer in schools to conduct search procedures.
AI-powered cameras can detect criminals and prevent break-ins
While the effectiveness of AI-powered cameras for discipline in Gauteng schools remains to be seen, the technology has proven itself highly effective in home and neighbourhood security.
AI-powered smart security cameras have enabled security providers to transition from reactive monitoring to predictive analysis, enabling them to stop crimes before they happen.
Vumacam is likely the largest operator of an AI-based CCTV camera system in South Africa, with a network of more than 7,000 streetpole-mounted cameras across Gauteng.
The Gauteng Provincial Government and Johannesburg Metro Police Department are already using this system, alongside numerous private security companies.
Security firm Axon Security has explained that CCTV and AI surveillance systems significantly reduce human error and bias through advanced algorithms and deep learning.
“This ensures more objective security and monitoring, promptly identifying and addressing potential threats,” it said.
Recent research by the University of South Africa’s Tladi Maja and Kris Pillay showed that these systems enabled the automated analysis of vast data streams to flag suspicious activity.
Most of these systems have been designed to recognise faces and number plates, as well as detect anomalies in real time.
“AI-powered CCTV systems are used to automatically flag unusual activities, reducing the need for manual monitoring and enabling quicker response times,” the researchers said.
“AI-powered surveillance systems can automatically detect unusual activities or unauthorised access,
reducing the need for human monitoring and increasing response efficiency.”
Examples of local AI-powered CCTV software systems include AVLytics and GhostHome, which target the different layers of the South African security ecosystem to ensure proactive crime prevention.
These two companies took two different approaches to AI-powered home security cameras and the rapid deployment of response teams.
GhostHome uses an end-to-end ecosystem approach to home and estate security in South Africa, and it leverages a combination of visible-light cameras and thermal imaging.
This enables the cameras to detect human movement in complete darkness, heavy rain, fog, or smoke, with high levels of accuracy.
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