Residents also urged the entity to clarify the turn-around times for repairs to broken street lights.
Mr Navin Bachu, acting chairperson of the Western Kensington Residents Association (WKRA), said residents are frustrated at City Power’s lack of urgency to fix street lights, considering the danger it poses to them.
“Street lights must be fixed as a matter of urgency, especially when considering the impact it has on crime. During winter especially, residents leave home and get home in the dark. Dark areas attract criminals and this puts residents at risk. The turn-around time must be 24 hours,” said Mr Bachu.
He added that residents are also frustrated at the conflicting timelines given by City of Johannesburg’s call centre agents and officials.
“The call centre agents say that it takes seven to 14 working days and other documents give a timeframe of 48 hours. What is the correct turn-around time? The timeframe for fixing street lights must be clarified. There are instances where street lights that are reported are not fixed even in seven to 14 working days,” said Mr Bachu.
He added that an out of order street light in the park in Benbow Street was reported weeks ago and, to date, it is still not working.
Residents are concerned about the crime the park attracts due to the lack of fencing and lighting. A woman was allegedly raped in the park on August 31.
“There are also instances where some street lights that were eventually fixed are not working again. Some residents report broken street lights and they are not fixed unless they continuously follow up. No one cares,” he said.
In response to questions raised about street lights and time frames Mr Sol Masolo, from City Power, said the turn-around time is 48 hours.
“I am aware that it becomes dark sooner in winter and that there may be some criminals who may want to take advantage of the dark, if and when there are no street lights in a particular street. The period stipulated for the repair and maintenance of street lights is in line with the stipulations which have been pre-determined by the energy regulator. City Power does try as hard as possible to repair the street lights in a period which is much shorter to ensure that customers are not left in the dark for a long period of time. This is done with the view to reduce the risk of crime. We try, as hard as possible, to restore electricity, including street lights, within a short space of time,” he said.
Mr Masolo said City Power realizes the importance of having street lights on every night and also realizes the value of street lights in reducing crime.
“We will do all in our power to work with the community to repair all reported street lights as soon as physically possible. Our commitment is to repair lights as soon as possible because our customers come first and their safety is important to us. The protection of the electricity network from criminal elements also means that we too, like our customers, require street lights to be on in order to discourage criminal elements from breaking into our substation and helping themselves to our electricity infrastructure in the middle of the night,” he said.
Clr Carlos da Rocha, of ward 66, urged residents to log faults through the City Power website.
“The call centre is not efficient. If there is a power outage I can never get through. Go to City Power’s website and click on fault logging. A reference number is provided. This complaint goes to the City Power workshop. The team leader monitors and dispatches people to address all complaints. I found that every problem I reported through this website was addressed quickly,” he said.
Clr Da Rocha said he reported the street light that is not working in the park.
“This matter is being addressed by City Power according to feedback I received. I was told a missing cable needs to be replaced. City Power has to get material and this takes time. I will follow up,” he said.
Mr Bachu urged residents to join residents’ associations and street committees. He said that residents who stand up and use their voice helps to ensure service delivery.
