The section is situated between the two suburbs of Saxonwold and Riviera, and has, on some days, been fully lit during the day.
With recent announcements made by Eskom urging citizens to adapt to frequent load shedding and to use electricity sparingly, residents are saying there seem to be aspects of City Power’s management of municipal infrastructure that seem wasteful.
Sol Masolo, spokesperson for City Power said, “City Power plans to ensure that all streetlights are synchronised to be on at night and off during the day. There are, however, instances where some of the lights have been [tampered] with and as a result they become on even during the day.”
Masolo said this results from people who steal streetlight cables. “In areas where we experienced increased [tampering] we sometimes leave the lights on on a 24-hour basis because when the lights are on, it is dangerous for cable thieves to [tamper] with them because of the risk of being electrocuted.”
However both ward councillors for these two suburbs were unconvinced by the statements made by City Power,
Ward 117 councillor Tim Truluck, who oversees Saxonwold, speculated that the timer was probably broken and needed to be replaced. “They only have one truck that can repair lights at the depot,” he said.
Truluck added that he had seen reports on streetlights at the oversight committee, and said that when timers were broken it was safer for City Power to leave the lights on for 24 hours so that the street would at least be lit at night.
Ward 73 councillor Marcelle Ravid, who oversees Riviera, said that she could not recall incidents of cable theft in the area, and that it was most probably the timers that have gone haywire due to the frequent load shedding.
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