The City of Cape Town’s Energy teams have been attending to streetlight-related service requests across the city, with 3 000 streetlight service requests being attended to between 23 October and 5 November and vandalised infrastructure being prioritised as a ‘matter of urgency’, Cape {town} Etc reports.
This is according to Alderman Xanthea Limberg, Mayco member for Energy.
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The City launched its streetlight focus initiative earlier this year, which has emphasised vandalised infrastructure and enhanced repair turnaround times.
Limberg recently joined electricity teams in Kraaifontein, as they attended to streetlight service requests along Botfontein Road, according to a press statement issued by the City.
‘Kraaifontein is one of the City’s hotspot areas and it is unfortunate that we are seeing many repeat streetlight vandalism cases along the busy Botfontein Road and in the area. As soon as we repair infrastructure, it is often vandalised again,’ said Limberg.
‘There were a number of streetlights that were damaged beyond repair and it was truly shocking to see the extent of vandalism and theft in our hotspot areas. The scale of repairs required often impacts the repair turnaround as entire grids need to be replaced or multiple equipment or pieces of infrastructure must be procured,’ Limberg added.
According to Limberg, the impact of streetlight vandalism and theft is a big problem across the city, which not only compromises public safety but also places a ‘significant financial burden’ on the municipality.
‘These acts of destruction divert resources from essential services and hinders the City’s efforts to improve the lives of residents in our communities,’ said Limberg.
However, Limberg has maintained that the City’s operational interventions have been ‘bearing fruit’, as they are seeing success across all regions.
‘Much more can be done and we are working hard to ensure that vandalism and theft are reduced as far as possible. The public’s support and reporting illegal activities to the City and South African Police Service (SAPS) helps us identify new trends and we urge residents to continue assisting us in bringing criminals to book,’ said Limberg.
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Picture: City of Cape Town
