Tshwane’s streetlight figures clarified
Confusion arose over statistics released by Mayor Nasiphi Moya on Tuesday. The metro confirms that the 91 581 figure shared earlier this week refers to audited and operational streetlights, and not newly repaired ones.
The metro has clarified its streetlight illumination figures after confusion arose over statistics shared by Mayor Nasiphi Moya earlier this week.
Mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi explained that the figure of 91,581 fixed streetlights announced on August 19 does not reflect the newly repaired lights across the city.
“The figure of 91,581 streetlights does not represent lights that have been newly repaired. Instead, it refers to the total number of streetlights across Tshwane that have been physically audited and verified as operational,” said Mgobozi.
He said this puts verified illumination at 38% of Tshwane’s network, a significant increase from the 13% recorded in October 2024.
However, Mgobozi clarified that the remaining 62% should not be seen as broken, but rather as not yet audited.
“Once checked, a light is either repaired if faulty or verified as working if already functional.”
He said that since October 2024, metro teams have attended to 77 282 additional streetlights across all seven regions.
“This represents a significant expansion of coverage and a major step forward in auditing and repairing the city’s streetlights,” added Mgobozi.
He noted that at the current moment, about 50% of Tshwane’s streetlights have now been audited, and the process remains ongoing.
Mgobozi also clarified that the figure of 21 734 reported in June referred specifically to repairs completed at that point and should not be confused with the broader total announced this week.
He said that despite ongoing challenges such as vandalism and theft, the city is demonstrating clear progress in increasing verified streetlight functionality across Tshwane and remains committed to expanding coverage until every streetlight has been attended to.
On Tuesday, Moya shared the initial figures, stating that over 91 000 public lights had been fixed across the city, as recorded in the metro’s weekly service delivery war room.
She emphasised the metro’s commitment to improving visibility in public spaces.
“While many streetlights are vandalised through theft, which increases the service delivery backlog faced by our teams, we have made it a priority to ensure that our public areas are visible at night to make life easier for residents and businesses,” she said.
Her announcement included a regional breakdown of functioning streetlights:
– Region 1: 15 209
– Region 2: 7 490
– Region 3: 22 270
– Region 4: 18 070
– Region 5: 10 316
– Region 6: 10 505
– Region 7: 7 721.
She also shared the number of repairs recorded in one week:
– 160 in Region 1;
– 69 in Region 2;
– 989 in Region 3;
– 394 in Region 4;
– 147 in Region 5;
– 277 in Region 6; and
– 108 in Region 7.
Beyond streetlights, the mayor reported progress with Tshwane’s high-mast lights, which illuminate larger public spaces.
She said that of the metro’s infrastructure, 940 high-mast lights have been repaired, while 540 still require attention.
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