Jukskei Park resident concerned with unpruned trees and dysfunctional streetlights in the area
Jukskei Park resident said the pole boxes that were left open with live electricity were posing life threat and danger to residents especially children.
Resident of Jukskei Park, Chris Neumann, has raised concerns with open street light pole access covers and uncut trees hanging over the streets in the area.
Neumann said the access covers that were left open on street lights with live electricity poses a threat to residents, especially children.
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“I’ve previously reported these open electric poles to City Power. They told me that it was vandalism not negligence from the entity’s electricians. This has been going on for almost a year now. The streetlights get fixed and go off in a matter of a few days after.”
He said the local dysfunctional street lights and unpruned trees made it difficult for residents to walk or drive when it’s dark. “We have trees hanging over the streets that have not been cut for some time now. With lights off and trees hanging over the streets the area becomes dangerous to drive or walk around the neighbourhood at night.”
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City Parks spokesperson Jenny Moodley urged residents to log calls to the entity and report trees that needed pruning in their respective areas. “City Parks has been working on a proactive maintenance schedule and is systematically pruning street trees across all regions and other suburbs. The recent much-needed rains have seen trees fill up with an abundance of cover.
“This helps purify the air and is essential for healthy living. We urge residents to only register requests for pruning and tree removal after much consideration and only as a last resort.”
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the power utility was aware of the street light issue. “We have repaired them many times before. However, the area is plagued by vandalism of the streetlights. The vandals steal the light fittings, covers, fuses, and even cables. We suspect that the lights are targeted by the criminals who deliberately want to keep the streets dark to fulfil their criminal activities.”
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He said the utility’s team will revisit the area again to repair the lights and appealed to the community to also be vigilant and be on the lookout for any suspicious activity around the electricity infrastructure, including the streetlights.
Details: Contact City Parks for tree pruning requests on 011 375 5555 or email wafrica@jhbcityparks.com
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