Officials assess Region 3’s night lighting needs
Officials say they aim to roll out similar streetlight scouting efforts throughout all seven regions.
Tshwane Mayor, Dr Nasiphi Moya, alongside members of her mayoral committee, recently conducted a night time walkabout in Region 3 (Central and Western) to assess the lighting needs of the area.
The service delivery scouting programme on September 1 focused strictly on street lights and public lighting, and took place between 18:30 and 21:00.
Moya says the metro has a massive streetlight backlog and that the programme will not be the last, as they aim to tackle all regions.
“As we all know, the city has a huge backlog when it comes to public lighting, and as the mayoral committee, we took the position to follow the money. While we are getting the number of streetlights and high-mast lights needed, we must also identify the areas where they are needed. Whether they’re crime-ridden or there’s a heavy traffic flow, just to make sure we light up the city,” Moya said.
The mayor said it was an eye-opening experience venturing into the CBD during the night, compared to the daytime.
While interacting with residents and businesses who frequent the inner city at all hours, a picture of the area’s needs and issues began to form.
“It’s not all about what isn’t working, but also about what is. There are many streetlights that have been fixed in the CBD. We are aiming to do more. The city centre is a hive of activity, even at night.
“During our service delivery scouting tonight, we met residents who were on their way home and street vendors. We want our streets to be safe day and night,” Moya said.
MMC for Roads and Transport, as well as the MMC in charge of Region 3’s Integrated Urban Management (IUM) programme, Tlangi Mogale, said the Putco Bus depot in Marabastad needs to be attended to specifically.
“There’s non-existent public lighting in the area, it’s so dark, and the buses are still loading people to different areas. Totally unsafe and not environmentally friendly! The whole area is very dark and dangerous for commuters,” Mogale said.
The MMC also met with members from local taxi associations to discuss how best to manage traffic, reduce congestion and ensure the city is kept clean, and commuters are safe and not inconvenienced.
Mogale says they are committed to working with Putco and taxi associations to ensure commuters are safe and areas are maintained.
Ward 58 Councillor Conride Ngoveni expressed his gratitude for the mayoral oversight effort in his ward, saying, “We’re very happy and delighted that this operation is yielding results.
“We are right in the centre of the CBD in Ward 58, and I’m happy to note that 80% of our streetlights will be working. So for residents, it will be easy to even walk during the course of the night; it’s a good initiative, and it must be implemented across the board.”
Watch here:
And there was light…..🖤💚💛 #baStrata
A city at work. Putting our people’s safety first.Good night❤️ pic.twitter.com/9XP0aYSWVF
— Tlangi Mogale: CoT MMC for Roads&Transport 🇿🇦 (@tlangimich) September 1, 2025
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