Newly installed solar-powered high-mast light affects residents

Residents at Sibongile Gardens, in Randpark Ridge, are struggling to get sleep, as a City Power solar-powered high-mast light lights up their homes at night.

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The residents of the complex have expressed worries about their health and safety, as well as the visual pollution caused by the light, which was installed in April. The light is installed in an open field behind the complex.

Resident Dale Dauncey explained that the light shines directly into her bedroom. “It’s been difficult for everybody at night. Driving into the complex, it blinds you. We can’t enjoy our stars. The owls that were living in the trees are no longer there.

“We can’t sleep. It’s like we have 24-hour daylight.”

The solar high-mast light is a City Power project that aims at improving visibility, discouraging unlawful behaviour, and providing a sense of security to crime hotspot areas, however, the residents say that they haven’t had crime problems, as security companies sit there at night.

Dauncey further stated that City Power needs to drop the pole to below wall height. “It’s too strong. It’s destroying nature and the environment. There are now rat problems, because there are no more owls.”

Isaac Mangena, City Power spokesperson, confirmed that the area in question was identified by community and law enforcement as a hotspot for criminal activities, including muggings, theft, and suspected illegal dumping. “There were several reports over the years from nearby complexes, including Sibongile Gardens and others, citing poor visibility and the cover of darkness as contributing factors to rising crime. The decision to install the mast light was made to enhance public safety, particularly for schoolchildren and pedestrians who use the pathway.”

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He further explained that the entity conducts multi-factor assessments before installing high-mast lighting. This includes community safety considerations. “While in some areas we install conventional streetlights, in other areas, we opt for high mast lights, due to the landscaping and environmental factors. With the high rates of streetlight vandalism, we are also resorting to mast lights which are less prone to vandalism, compared to the usual streetlights.”

According to Mangena, the area in question does not have existing electrical infrastructure, including underground cabling, which would be required for conventional streetlights. Therefore, installing traditional streetlights would have required costly civil work, which was not feasible within the current budget and rollout plans.

As a result, a solar-powered high-mast light was chosen as a cost-effective, off-grid solution, to provide maximum nighttime light to a wide area, particularly in a space that has limited natural surveillance. “City Power is not contemplating removing the light, as it plays a crucial role in ensuring public safety. However, our technicians will go back to the site to try and adjust the angle and range of the light to reduce glare into nearby residential units. They will also try and lower the brightness intensity, if it’s technically feasible, without compromising security.

“If we are unable to adjust the light, we plead with residents to try and put measures in their homes, such as tinting their windows, so that we don’t have to remove an important safety facility, simply because it’s a slight inconvenience to some people.”

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