The Tshwane metro has allocated over R24-million to its Public Lighting Programme for the current financial year to improve streetlights across the city.
This move is part of the metro’s Mayoral Urban Management Plan, which aims to address critical service delivery issues including streetlights, road maintenance, and waste management.
This plan was recently implemented in Olievenhoutbosch, where the metro tackled several pressing issues.
Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink said efforts were directed at fixing a major faulty line on Legong Street that was affecting several streetlights.
“We understand that public lighting is a very important issue with our residents, as functioning streetlights provide a sense of safety and security for communities,” he said.
Brink said the allocated budget would be used to instal new streetlights and replace outdated infrastructure in the city.
“The city has made a commitment to use 30% of the R24-million to replace current infrastructure with solar solutions,” he said.
He said this initiative aimed to reduce the cost of electricity and combat the frequent vandalism of streetlights.
Plans have been put in place to roll out repairs and increase illumination levels across the city.
“I want to assure residents that repairing streetlights is one of my top priorities,” added Brink.
Over the past weeks, criminals have been targeting copper cables along Rooihuiskraal Road, which has resulted in several cable theft instances.
These thefts led to disruption in traffic light functionality.
Ward 64 councillor Alta de Kock said functioning streetlights would help to combat the problems in the area.
She said the cable theft incidents have happened in four different places along the bridge.
“I presume they have a map of where the cables are supposed to be,” she said.
De Kock said the criminals cut a new aluminium cable after it was installed to see if there was copper inside.
“After the first time, the thieves still tried to find copper in the cables.
“We have even caught them on video. When someone from the CPF stopped there, they escaped down the side of the embankment to hide,” she said.
“They are not even scared of anybody,” she added.
She said a report from the electricity department that fixed the lights on the bridge showed seven of the lights were badly vandalised.
In addition to the upgrades and repairs, the metro plans to enhance its urban management efforts by allocating more resources to areas like Olievenhoutbosch, where service delivery has faced challenges.
Brink urged residents to support these initiatives by refraining from littering and participating in community clean-up efforts in their communities.
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