Cape Town: The City Energy teams visited Avonwood to assess the public lighting infrastructure and to monitor progress on streetlight repairs in the area. It will remain vulnerable to vandalism and infrastructure theft.
Reportedly, the City of Cape Town maintains a network of over 245,000 streetlights across the metro. Work and investment in the upgrade and maintenance of public lighting infrastructure across the metro is ongoing and it forms part of a continuous programme by the Energy Directorate to enhance safety and visibility throughout the metro.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Energy – Alderman Xanthea Limberg joined officials in Avonwood where ongoing streetlight work took place.
She stated that the public lighting plays a vital role in improving visibility for residents, pedestrians and motorists. During their visit, they inspected ongoing work and explored additional measures to improve lighting reliability and reduced repeat damage to the critical infrastructure.
Over the last two years, they have rolled out intense interventions in the repairs of streetlight infrastructure amid the scourge of illegal connections, vandalism and theft that plagues many communities across the metro. The damage due to these criminal acts is so severe that it often impacts large areas requiring the replacement and unplanned upgrade of entire street grids and backbone infrastructure.
Limberg said that the high levels of vandalism and theft of infrastructure in Avonwood, such as in the metro, continue to impact the City’s ability to deliver and sustain essential services, but they will never give up the desire to create brighter and safer communities.
They have dedicated additional resources to accelerate service delivery, prioritising repairs and proactive maintenance in areas most affected by vandalism and theft. However, the repeated damage places significant strain on City resources that could otherwise be used to expand and improve services elsewhere.
The team is calling for strong community partnership to help protect the public streetlights and related infrastructure. Residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity, as community vigilance plays a critical role in preventing vandalism and holding perpetrators accountable.
According to Limberg, the City of Cape Town remains committed to enhancing and maintaining the basic services and to working with the Avonwood community as they aim to create and maintain brighter and safer communities.
Considering this, the City of Cape Town has spent approximately R62 million in the past financial year on electricity infrastructure maintenance and replacement.
Protect Your Power is a first of a kind campaign, which highlights the massive impact of vandalism, theft, and illegal connections that leave the communities, neighbourhoods, and roadways in the dark.
The City is calling on all residents to help them Protect Your Power and build safer, brighter communities by reporting any suspicious activity anonymously to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC).