In fact, vandalism and theft of streetlights is so extensive that the metro’s annual budget for streetlight repairs was just about used up in six months.
The Advertiser has received numerous complaints from concerned residents about streetlights that are on throughout the day in parts of Boksburg.
Themba Gadebe, spokesperson for the metro, said: “We have day-night timers on all these streetlights, and the problem that we experience is that every time the streetlights are vandalised or theft takes place, these timers become non-functional and can then not control the proper functioning of the streetlights.
“We have an extraordinary problem with theft and vandalism of streetlights in the metro.”
Gadebe said they have started to install ‘smart’ day-night photocell controllers that are regulated not by time but by light intensity (daylight).
“We will resolve the burning streetlights issue in the very near future,” Gadebe said.
“Another thing residents should bear in mind is that when streetlight repairs have been carried out, we usually leave them on for a certain period to try to counteract the re-occurrence of theft and vandalism and as part of our inspection process to ensure they have been properly repaired.
“When we are satisfied the repairs are good, we normalise the streetlights to only work at night.”
