The Ekurhuleni metro has been forced to keep some of the street lights burning during the day in some parts of Boksburg.
Explaining the decision to keep the lights on day and night, the metro spokesperson, Nhlanhla Cebekhulu, said: “Currently in Witfied and Boksburg South there are fibre-optic cable companies that are digging closer to our street lights, so we keep the lights on so that we can detect instantly when there is damage to the street lights.”
This, however, doesn’t apply to the street lights which remain on day and night in other areas where there are no fibre-optic cables being installed.
Cebekhulu said in some areas, including the stretch of Commissioner Street between Trichardts Road and New Beginnings Care Centre, the metro is experiencing daily theft of, and vandalism to, its street lights.
“Prevention of damage to public property is a societal responsibility and we are calling on the community to assist by reporting the matter,” said Cebekhulu.
The metro also admitted that it is struggling to meet the seven-working-days average turnaround time to fix a reported faulty street light because there is a backlog of such work in the city.
Cebekhulu said: “There is a backlog to attending to street lights due to the large amount of theft and vandalism. However, it is anticipated that the backlog will be addressed soon.”
Cebekhulu confirmed that although there are contractors who are helping the metro with the repair and maintenance of the network, a new tender for street-light management is also going through the supply-chain management process.
According to the metro, once the process is complete, the street-light problem will be addressed immediately in the affected areas.
