Cape Town’s aerial surveillance ‘Eye in the Sky’ contract cancelled after non-compliance

JP Smith’s “Eye in the Sky” aerial surveillance project has been cancelled after its R100m contract was terminated over non-compliance.

Cape Town’s R100m aerial surveillance initiative, once promoted as a high-tech crime-fighting tool, has been cancelled after a service provider failed to meet contractual requirements, raising fresh questions over oversight and transparency.

Cape Town’s flagship aerial surveillance project, known as the “Eye in the Sky”, has been discontinued after the City of Cape Town terminated the contract due to non-compliance by the service provider, Cape Argus reported.

The project, which involved the deployment of an aircraft fitted with advanced surveillance technology for crime monitoring, was awarded in December 2023 at a value of just over R100 million. According to Cape Argus reporting, the tender attracted only a single bidder.

At the time of its launch, mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith positioned the initiative as part of a broader investment in safety technologies, which he said totalled about R610 million over three years.