The repair work on street lights in Pretoria West has begun, with some street lights already functioning. According to resident Elsabe van Zyl, the repair work started on Thursday after several complaints being laid at the Tshwane metro.
“They started fixing the lights last night around 21:00.” Following a previous article that Rekord published about the street lights not functioning, it has been alleged that the sub-contractor in charge of fixing the streetlight in Pretoria West and surrounding areas has been told to stop the work.
“It has been four months now since we were told to stop working and we have not been paid. We work in Pretoria West, Proclamation Hill, Capital Park and a few other areas,” said the sub-contractor, who is known to Rekord.
The sub-contractor mentioned that they do not understand why they have been stopped from working because they have a three-year contract with the Tshwane metro.
“We had to get a new truck because we had been struggling to do some of the work because of the trucks we used. Now we have all the equipment and we have been stopped from working.”
People have been going to the sub-contractor’s house asking for them to fix the street lights as the Tshwane metro is allegedly not doing anything about their complaints.
The lack of light at night is dangerous, as the dark streets mean criminals gain easier access to properties. “We are not only doing this for the Tshwane metro, but so that the community can be safe,” the sub-contractor stated.
The Tshwane metro has been contacted about the allegations made regarding the sub-contractor being stopped from working and the metro taking excessively long to respond to the community, but no response was received, despite several attempts, at the time of going to print.
