Residents of Ashlea Gardens demand that the Tshwane Metro fix long-broken streetlights, blaming the outage for crime and road danger.

The faulty streetlights, first reported in February 2025, remain unresolved despite repeated service requests, emails to the municipality, and intervention by Ward 82 councillor Siobhan Muller.

Resident Logan Govender said the lack of street lighting has had a noticeable impact on safety in the area.

“Our streetlights have not been working since February last year.”

Govender said the dark road has become increasingly dangerous for both residents and motorists.

According to him, there have been a string of burglaries. In a separate incident, a driver failed to negotiate a sharp bend and crashed into a residential gate across the road.

He said the issue of streetlights in Ashlea Gardens needs to be attended to.

“We have reported the matter to the ward councillor and the metro multiple times,” he said.

“Our ward councillor has also escalated the matter on our behalf and keeps us updated on everything,” he said.

Residents say they have repeatedly logged complaints and followed the correct reporting channels, but have yet to see a lasting solution.

Muller said the issue has been raised through several official processes without success.

“We aren’t getting any response on repairs for many, many months. We did the petition and went to the petitions committee, but nothing came of it, nor from the public meetings held,” she said.

She said residents have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of communication and progress despite ongoing engagement with the city.

Responding to Rekord’s enquiry, metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that the reported streetlight faults remain unresolved.

“The city will dispatch technicians to investigate the reported streetlight faults and assess the outstanding issues with a view to carrying out the necessary repairs as soon as practicable,” said Mashigo.

He confirmed that service requests are still outstanding and are awaiting attention by the relevant technical teams.

Mashigo said the metro is currently dealing with a backlog of reported streetlight faults, which has delayed repairs.

“The city is currently managing a backlog of reported streetlight faults. However, the outstanding complaints have been noted and will be attended to as part of the ongoing maintenance programme,” he said.

According to Mashigo, the exact cause of the prolonged outage has not yet been determined.

“At this stage, the cause of the prolonged outage has not yet been established. A technical investigation will be undertaken to determine the source of the problem,” he said.

Mashigo scheduled repairs for July 25, pending operational requirements.

No formal reports have linked the outages to crime or road incidents, Mashigo said.

“The city has not received any formal reports raising concerns of this nature. Nevertheless, it recognises the important role that functional street lighting plays in promoting road safety and enhancing public safety,” he said.

He added that the municipality continues to prioritise streetlight repairs across the metro’s eastern regions.

“The city continues to prioritise streetlight repairs on a daily basis, with available resources being deployed to address reported faults and progressively reduce the current maintenance backlog across the eastern regions,” said Mashigo.

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