New streetlights for Hazyview
The new streetlights are welcomed by residents and local business owners. They are deemed beneficial to those travelling at night, and they will also assist in curbing criminal activities during darkness.
The City of Mbombela (CoM) has installed 100 new streetlights on Portia Shabangu Drive in Hazyview heading towards the Kruger National Park (KNP).
This development was welcomed by both residents and the Hazyview Chamber of Business and Tourism (HCBT).
The CoM’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said it is part of an ongoing project of having the streetlights throughout the town repaired. He also said the installation created employment for locals.
“The contractor is done with the installations; for now, we are waiting for Eskom to give a date on when they will switch them on. We are calling on community members to safeguard them at all times. This infrastructure is within the community. As the municipality we will do our part to keep them safe, but we need the community to get involved,” he said.
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Ngala further said the municipality will continue with their mandate to repair or upgrade critical infrastructure.
Many residents said they welcomed these new lights as they would be beneficial to those travelling at night. “Criminals are always taking advantage of the darkness to rob people who are walking to work or motorists who are using the busy roads. With the new lights, we believe it will decrease the number of robberies in the area. The project also created much-needed employment for some local people,” they said.
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The HCBT’s chairperson, Goodman Nkosi, said the new streetlights were necessary as the road is one of the busiest to the KNP.
“The HCBT welcomes the gesture from the municipality, because the road was dark at night. We sometimes do night drives with tourists, but it becomes challenging when we have to drive them back on that road to their accommodation. I believe that with the new streetlights, it will be more difficult for criminals who usually target people at night to continue doing so. However, I also agree with Ngala that members of the community need to safeguard them at all times, because they are there to serve them,” he said.
Nkosi also said that any form of service delivery to benefit Hazyview’s residents and businesses will always be appreciated.
