JOHANNESBURG - Cellphones are more than just devices used for communication and social media.
At the right moment, that phone can become a powerful tool for recording acts of crime or even misconduct.
This footage can ultimately play a crucial role in criminal or even disciplinary cases.
An example of this is the case against Lawrence Mudzinganyama.
Mudzinganyama was captured on camera allegedly threatening to shoot and kill a group of women at an upmarket Sandton restaurant.
He now faces ten charges, including fraud, intimidation and crimen injuria.
READ | Businessman accused of threatening women at Sandton restaurant granted bail
But his case is one of many.
There is also the case of eight Milnerton High School pupils who were charged with assault after a disturbing video has surfaced showing a 16-year-old Cape Town pupil being brutally assaulted.
READ| UPDATE: Eight Milnerton High pupils appear in court
For social media law expert Emma Sadlier, the ability to capture such scenes proves one's courage to document serious misconduct when it happens because, without that evidence, it may be hard to act against the perpetrator.
“We just see electronic evidence permeate the courtroom, and I think that the more that evidence exists, the more bad people end up facing the full might of the law; as a result of that evidence being taken, I say all the better,” she said.
In addressing the issue of privacy, Sadlier explained that once evidence is manifestly in the public interest, then one should not worry about the privacy rights of an individual.
She does, however, caution that there are two instances when a person's privacy is infringed.
“The first is consent, and the second is if it benefits the public. What I say is a rule of thumb, in short, when you do something illegal, when you do something against the law, against the rules, your privacy falls out the window.”
The issue becomes more sensitive when it comes to children if they are involved.
Sadlier said that in those events, it is important to be mindful of the privacy rights of children.
“I don't think that naming and shaming in public is appropriate in those circumstances.”