Eskom has denied disconnecting streetlights in Sunninghill, contradicting an earlier explanation from City Power about the cause of approximately 270 non-operational streetlights in the suburb.

The development raises further questions about the cause of the prolonged outages and which entity is responsible for resolving the problem. City Power previously told the Fourways Review that the affected supply points had been switched off by Eskom after it was established that no electricity meters were connected to them.

According to City Power general manager Isaac Mangena, the affected points could not be linked to existing City Power accounts and therefore required new account applications before supply could be restored. However, responding to a follow-up inquiry, Eskom spokesperson for Gauteng Amanda Qithi said the utility had not disconnected any streetlights: “Eskom has not disconnected any streetlights and therefore the lights in Sunninghill are not due to a disconnection done by Eskom.”

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Meanwhile, residents continue to raise concerns about vandalised streetlight infrastructure and the safety risks associated with darkened roads. During a follow-up visit to Maxwell Drive, Sunninghill Community Ratepayers Association suburb manager Tracy Kensey pointed out damaged streetlight infrastructure, including excavated trenches, removed cables and streetlight poles.

“Every single one of these streetlights has been vandalised. They’ve dug the trenches, they’ve dug the cables out, as well as pulled the lights out,” Kensey said.

She warned that residents could not determine whether exposed cables were still live.

Kensey also recalled a fatal incident in Sunninghill about five or six years ago, when a young man died after leaning against exposed cables. She said residents had repeatedly asked City Power to consider installing aerial bundled cables as an alternative to underground infrastructure, which she believes could help address recurring cable theft.

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Residents have also raised concerns about the lack of lighting at night and the impact this has on safety and crime prevention.

The conflicting explanations from the two electricity entities leave residents without clarity on the precise cause of the wider outage or when permanent restoration can be expected.

The Fourways Review will continue seeking clarification from the relevant entities.

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