Broken East Rand street lights lead to surge in crime rate

Residents of Primrose Hill in Germiston fear for their safety as more than 200 street lights are reported to be dysfunctional, leading to a perceived increase in theft, burglary, hijackings and poisoning of pets.

According to concerned residents who reported the faults to the City of Ekurhuleni on numerous occasions, the streetlights in the area have not been working since November 2020.

“It started in October last year,” said a resident.

“We reported it and then it died down for some time but after a while, in November, it started again and since then we haven’t heard anything from the City of Ekurhuleni or the mayor.”

Ward 36 councillor Wendy Morgan said Germiston has seen a spike in crime, including in Primrose Hill and surrounding areas.

“The previous contractor’s contract ended in December and they had to appoint a new contractor, which I have been informed has happened.

“However, they said the contractor had compliance issues.

“I sent an e-mail again this week asking if the contractor has started working and I haven’t had a reply,” said Morgan.

Primrose Hill Community Safety Forum’s Tracy Enslin said more petty crimes have been reported by residents, including theft of motorbikes and vehicles.

“There is a growing concern over street lights in different parts of Primrose. People are living in fear. In our area, about 14 street light poles were stolen, there is cable theft and residents are being robbed in the street of cellphones, jewellery and so on,” said Eslin.

“The residents of Primrose have now started cleaning the streets themselves and putting up lights in their yards facing street for safety because these robbers hide in the dark.”

City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said: “Contractors dealing with street lights have been appointed and are dealing with the backlog.

“We acknowledge that there is a backlog and wish to apologise for any inconvenience. But the matter is receiving our attention.”

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