Louwlardia intersection out of order for two years as Centurion councillor demands action
Safety fears grow in Louwlardia and surrounding Centurion suburbs as widespread infrastructure vandalism leaves 70% of streetlights out of operation along major transit routes.
Dysfunctional streetlights at a busy Louwlardia intersection have left residents concerned about safety for more than two years, despite repeated reports to the City of Tshwane.
Ward 65 Councillor Gert Visser said the lights at the intersection of Brakfontein Road and Erasmus Drive remain out of service, creating a major safety hazard.
He said the problem extended beyond the intersection, with streetlights along Brakfontein Road, Olievenhoutbosch Road and Nellmapius Drive also out of service.
“The streetlights at this intersection have been dysfunctional for longer than two years,” Visser said. “Despite reporting and numerous escalations to the municipality, no repairs have been done.”
The City of Tshwane confirmed that two intersections identified as hotspots, Brakfontein Road and the R101, and Brakfontein Road and Erasmus Drive, currently do not have streetlights.
Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said about 70% of the streetlights in Highveld and Louwlardia had been vandalised, including those along the main routes.
Photo: Supplied
Mashigo said vandalised supply points compounded the damage, further affecting the operation and restoration of the streetlights.
He explained that the Centurion Electricity Depot was attending to streetlights that had not been vandalised in Highveld and Irene, while a section of those along Olievenhoutbosch Road had been repaired.
“The city currently has 571 queries relating to non-functioning streetlights in Highveld and 37 in Louwlardia. Over the past 12 months, it received 281 complaints from Highveld residents, residential estates and businesses, and 12 from Louwlardia.”
Vandalism strips key infrastructure
Mashigo said streetlights along Olievenhoutbosch and Brakfontein roads had also been vandalised and a mini-substation supplying the lights along the roads had been stripped.
He noted that vandalism of streetlights and supporting infrastructure remained a major challenge to restoring lighting in the affected areas, while the city continues to address faults where possible.
The ongoing outages also raised questions from Visser about the funding available for repairs.
However, Mashigo confirmed that the city does have a dedicated capital budget for the installation of streetlights in Centurion as part of network development.
He did not provide the amount allocated or how much had been spent to date.
Community precinct proposal pending
Visser said discussions had also been held with role-players about establishing a Community Upliftment Precinct initiative to assist with the situation, but the initiative had not yet started.
He noted that the municipality needs to urgently inspect Louwlardia to establish the extent of repairs required and address the matter.
He also stated that non-functioning streetlights are a problem, especially when it comes to crime.
“The solution is to prioritise and repair all the dysfunctional streetlights at crime hotspots as a matter of urgency. This is unacceptable,” he said.
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