The cameras will be integrated into an overall command centre that will be the central point of data collected from the cameras.

While the provincial government has already started with the pilot phase of the facial recognition cameras, Gauteng premier spokesperson, Vuyo Mhaga, said the cameras were placed in areas deemed to have high crime rates.

"You are able to see the crime that is committed because you then have a particular area that is under surveillance, then the command centre is basically able to instruct the crime wardens and the police to move in," Mhaga said.

Meanwhile, a tech expert, Doreen Mokoena has weighed in on the strategy the provincial government is taking to fight crime.

"This initiative has come at a huge struggle for a lot of governments, because sometimes it just mis-profiles people, especially for people of colour," Mokoena added.

Earlier on this month, Gauteng police commissioner General Elias Mawela revealed that the province contributed 27.2% to the national overall crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year.