Estate still in the dark over maintenance of streetlights
“It’s gotten worse. We lose new streetlights because our day night [switches] are always on.”
Residents of a Centurion estate have still not received a response Tshwane over the contractual obligations they claim it is failing to keep.
Rekord reported over a month ago that Raslouw Gardens Estate residents were being stonewalled by the metro and elected representatives.
Estate residents say they have a contract with the metro to oversee the lighting and electrical infrastructure in the estate but it wasn’t fulfilling its end of the deal.
Estate manager Louis de Koker said he is disappointed.
“It’s gotten worse. We lose new streetlights because our day night [switches] are always on. So we are losing lights that are at their end of life, they aren’t made to be on for two years straight.”
De Koker said that at least three new estates have come forward with the same issue.
“Not everyone is in the same boat, but these estates that came forward also have contracts with the city,” said De Koker.
Raslouw Gardens Estate residents said that the city had looked after their streetlights for 13 years before it suddenly stopped in 2021.
Since then, they have been trying to get the city to maintain the infrastructure without success.
Some lights in the estate stay on permanently, others never work, and some have been damaged or have caught alight.
De Koker said that his estate agreed with the city that it would take over the maintenance of the electrical infrastructure and streetlights.
De Koker showed Rekord the agreement, which states that “once completed, the township’s internal service or a portion of it is taken over by the municipality”.
According to De Koker, the city fulfilled its from 2008 until March 18, 2021.
He said that the estate does not have the authority or access to the streetlights, some of which have been on since 2021 on the city’s account. He said that they would need a legal letter and mandate from the city to take over the maintenance of the lights.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the city was aware of the complaints.
He told Rekord that there are conditions that determine responsibilities when any estate is established as a township.
“The estate can provide evidence (conditions) that proves that the city is responsible,” said Mashigo.
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