Solar lights boost safety at TUT hotspot
The area where the streetlights were installed is reportedly prone to hijackings and muggings, as students are known to work until dark.
The Tshwane Metro’s #SwitchOnTshwane campaign recently installed eight new solar streetlights at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) campus in Pretoria West.
The solar streetlights, installed at the corner of Staatsartillerie Road and Technikon Place, were officially switched on by Utilities MMC Frans Boshielo.
The ceremony was attended by officials from the Energy and Electricity Business Unit, Ward 3 Councillor Rakabe Malesela, members of the TUT senior management and other stakeholders.
The project forms part of the Electricity Stabilisation Plan, which is modernising the metro’s electricity infrastructure through strategic investments in resilient, sustainable, and innovative energy solutions.
By expanding the use of solar technology, the metro hopes to reduce pressure on the conventional electricity grid while improving the reliability of public infrastructure.
The effort is also set to significantly enhance safety and security for students, staff, visitors, and surrounding communities.
Boshielo said reliable public lighting improves visibility, deters criminal activity, and creates safer public spaces, particularly during the early morning and evening hours when pedestrian activity around the campus is at its peak.
“The rollout of solar streetlights demonstrates how the city is using innovation to strengthen our electricity network while making our communities safer.
“Every streetlight we switch on is another step towards building a safer, more resilient, and better-connected Tshwane,” he said.
Malesela added that the area where the lights were installed is notorious for hijackings and hopes the efforts will spread to more communities in need of enhanced visibility.
“This is a pilot project, and we are fortunate in Ward 3 that the initiative starts with [us]. The installation of the solar streetlights at the entrance of the university will not only improve public lighting but will also serve as a crime-fighting mechanism within the vicinity,” he explaned.
He added that is next to the notorious hijack spot at Esk’kia Mphahlele and Staatsartillerie bridge.
“The university library closes at 22:00, and with improved public lighting, safety concerns of those are from the facility are addressed as well. We thank the the MMC responsible for utilities, Councillor Frans Boshielo, for listening to our outcry, and we hope these kinds of lights will be spread around our communities,” Malesela said.
The project also contributed to local economic development by creating temporary employment opportunities for four community members during the implementation phase.
The #SwitchOnTshwane programme remains one of the flagship initiatives to restore and improve public lighting across the metro.
Together with the broader Electricity Stabilisation Plan, the aim is to rebuild critical infrastructure, improve service delivery, and strengthen public safety.
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