Cape Town: The Energy Directorate of the City of Cape Town has intensified efforts on the ground to repair and upgrade critical electricity infrastructure in Langa and Bonteheuwel. Teams are focusing on high-mast public lighting, streetlights, and substation maintenance to improve service reliability in these areas.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Energy – Alderman Xanthea Limberg stated that the City’s Electricity teams continue to work tirelessly across the metro to upgrade and maintain high-mast and street lighting infrastructure. The teams are also maintaining substations and electricity kiosks as part of the broader strategy to enhance service delivery, particularly in growing communities where it is needed the most.
While work is ongoing across all areas, the recent visit and focus in Langa and Bonteheuwel forms part of the Mayor’s Service Blitz initiative. During the visit, the teams attended a large number of repairs and LED retrofit upgrades to high masts, streetlights and electrical kiosk boxes to boost household electricity reticulation and minimise power faults.
The latest capital expenditure data indicates that the City’s Area North region, which includes the Vanguard district that provides service to both Langa and Bonteheuwel is ahead of its planned expenditure, with nearly 90% of its R123 million budget in infrastructure repairs and upgrades completed, boosting electricity service reliability and mitigating unplanned outages in those areas.
Limberg also highlighted that, between February and March 2026, the City of Cape Town recorded and resolved 26,179 electricity-related service requests. In the current financial year, R75.5 million has been allocated to the upgrade and expansion of streetlighting citywide.
In addition, they are rolling out anti-vandalism technologies to safeguard infrastructure and deter criminal activity that disrupts electricity services.
They thanked residents for their continued support in reporting faulty streetlights. This plays a vital role in enabling quicker, more efficient responses. Residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity near critical infrastructure to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the City of Cape Town.
Furthermore, the City has launched Protect Your Power, a first-of-its-kind campaign highlighting the impact of vandalism, theft, and illegal connections that leave communities in the dark. Energy Safety Team and City Law Enforcement continue to be visible in all hotspot areas.
The City is exploring and aims to expand anti-theft and vandalism tech solutions. They are installing low-street-value equipment in place of copper to discourage theft and vandalism. They are welding access points to the infrastructure to deter and complicate access through forced entry.