City Power installs five solar-powered lighting towers in Zandspruit to illuminate crime hot-spots
The high mast project helps to keep areas lit during load-shedding while ensuring against vandalism and theft of streetlights.
City Power is forging ahead with a project to install solar lighting towers throughout the entity’s footprint.
The cost-effective and sustainable initiative focuses resources on poorly lit areas with high foot traffic which have developed into crime hotspots. To date, over 25 solar high masts, known as Apollo lights, have been installed across the City of Johannesburg, with 50 more earmarked for erection before the end of the year.
Roodepoort supply areas will receive more than 10 solar high mast lights in areas such as Zandspruit, Braamfischerville, Tshepisong, Princess, Matholesville and Fleurhof. Two of the five solar-powered lighting solar high masts earmarked for Zandspruit were installed and energised on July 6. The remaining three were installed in the week ending on July 14 and the masts scheduled for the other areas in Roodepoort will be completed through the coming financial year.
The project aims to provide lighting during load-shedding and prolonged power cuts to improve safety. This durable mechanism will ultimately prioritise areas prone to vandalism of streetlights and high crime rates. The project is also part of City Power’s strategy to explore sources of alternative energy mix to catapult the entity into a new era of inventiveness and sustainability.
The feedback received from the community to date has been positive, considering the project targets hijacking, robbery, and mugging hotspots. Communities have already approached City Power for more masts. In the current financial year, the target is to install 50 solar high masts and so far 19 have been installed in different parts of the city.
This project also addresses the issue of vandalism of streetlights as in many areas streetlights are stripped of cables and other parts which are used for illegal connections. This project will curb the vandalism of streetlights as the masts do not use those cables. It will also help with community safety as vandalised street poles pose a danger to communities, especially children.
