Mamelodi residents refute functional streetlight figures by metro
Residents insist many areas have been dark for years, saying criminals exploit outages.
Streetlights in Mamelodi have not been working for years, residents in the area claim.
This follows an announcement by the city that over 91 000 streetlights were working across the metro.
However, residents and councillors in regions 3 (central and western) and 6 (far eastern) say little has improved in the areas they call home.
President of Mamelodi Concerned Residents for Service Delivery Oupa Mtshweni said, “Our streets are dark at night, and this has been going on for years.”
Mtshweni said the numbers the city claims don’t reflect the reality on the ground.
“We have never seen maintenance officials from the city… fixing streetlights.
“Streetlights not working has put many people’s lives in danger, especially in the morning and afternoons, because it gets dark very quickly in winter, and criminals take advantage of the situation,” he said.
Mtshweni continued, saying that it is thanks to community members in Mamelodi who patrol the streets, especially in hotspot areas.
He said almost all of Mamelodi East and Mamelodi West, including the Nellmapius area, is in darkness at night.
Mtshweni said the metro is quick to judge residents who fall behind in municipal payments, but has failed to supply services to residents for years, particularly concerning streetlighting.
Mayor Nasiphi Moya claimed at the metro’s weekly service delivery briefing that over 22 000 streetlights had been repaired in Region 3, and more than 10 500 in Region 6.
“Despite challenges like vandalism and theft of cables, our teams continue to make progress in illuminating communities.
“In addition to streetlights, the metro has also invested in the repair of high-mast lights, which enable the illumination of larger public spaces,” she said.
According to Moya, 940 high-mast lights have been repaired in the metro, with 540 still to be repaired.
She added that many public lights are repeatedly vandalised, creating a backlog.
However, residents say these numbers don’t reflect the reality on the ground.
Elizabeth du Toit, living in another part of Pretoria, said her block has been dark for years.
“There used to be lights, you could see the whole street. Now it’s pitch dark. My friend has reported it several times. Sometimes they fix one light, but the rest stay off.”
Du Toit said crime has gone up, and they’ve had to spend thousands on security fences just to feel safe.
“It feels like living in a jail,” she said.
Ward 83 councillor, Andrew Lesch, said the situation is dire.
He explained that the metro’s repair figures do not match what residents are experiencing on the ground.
“Some of these lights have been out for two or even three years. We’ve reported them again and again, but nothing changes.
“Burglaries are increasing and people don’t feel safe. It has both a psychological and physical impact on the community,” he said.
In a recent incident in Mamelodi West Section A1, near Mamelodi Kingsley hostel, two women were robbed of their belongings on their way to work.
The women claim that the criminals took advantage of the darkness because the streetlights are not working.
One of the women said she was held at gunpoint by two armed men who ran at them from behind, and took her bag with two cellphones, her ID, and various cards inside, before disappearing into the night.
Ward 47 councillor Lida Erasmus added that many lights remain broken.
Erasmus said around 98% of her ward’s lights are still not working, or are lit during the day, probably due to faulty daylight switches.
She closed by saying, “Break-ins and car theft are happening daily because of this darkness.”
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