Media inquiry leads to street light repairs
A dangerous situation with non-working lights and a low-hanging cable in Hurlingham, brought to their attention by the Sandton Chronicle, prompted City Power to repair streetlights that had been out since January.
City Power responded to non-functional streetlights on Hurlingham Road in Sandton on May 2 after a media inquiry was sent to them by the Sandton Chronicle.
According to resident Neil Duncan, a section of streetlights on Lovat Road, specifically HN4/11 through NH4/16, had been out of order since January, raising safety concerns.
Duncan said he expressed frustration with City Power’s reporting system. “I tried so many times to log this to City Power but neither of the two numbers provided for reporting outages were being answered, with the response being: ‘Number is not available – please try again later’.”
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Adding to the urgency, Duncan highlighted an additional danger. “Since a tree fell across the light pole cable during a storm [after the lights stopped working], there is the additional danger of a larger municipal outage, or a truck hitting the low hanging cable. This will cause further damage to the light poles and possibly result in injury or loss of life.”
When questioned about the prolonged outage, and lack of repair for the streetlights, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena stated that they were unaware of the situation until the publication sent the inquiry to them.
Mangena emphasised the importance of having a reference number when reporting issues, as it allows City Power to verify specific problems and retrieve records regarding repair processes. “Customers are encouraged to log calls by contacting our call centre number on 011 490 7484, 0800 202 925, or calling our toll-free number for escalations on 0800 003 156 [escalating streetlight outages after seven days of reporting]. Alternatively, they can log a call via citypower.mobi.”
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Mangena confirmed that, in this specific case, City Power did not receive a reference number and found no logged calls in their system related to these streetlights. “Nevertheless, we proactively dispatched a team to the site on May 2, to conduct an assessment and investigate the issue.
“Out of a total of 15 streetlights on Lovat Street, 7 were found to be non-functional. By 15:00 that afternoon, all affected streetlights were fully restored and are now operational.”
Mangena added that the work completed included installing 2 ELD fittings, replacing 4 fuses, installing 6 IPCs, rewiring 4 poles, and replacing 1 photocell. He also confirmed that all 22 streetlights on the nearby Arbroath Street in the complex are operational.
He highlighted the significant challenge of theft and vandalism of streetlight components, particularly aerial bundled conductors (ABCs), which are used for illegal connections and other criminal activities. “City Power regularly repairs vandalized streetlights, but infrastructure is often damaged again quickly. To combat these issues, City Power is implementing various measures, including smart streetlighting technologies, collaboration with stakeholders like businesses and community forums, deployment of their risk department, and the community partnership programme.
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“Community policing forums are also involved, and in some areas, residents have taken steps, like constructing protective enclosures and patrolling installations.”
In response to the question about reviewing tree management, Mangena said: “City Power has engaged with Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo to address trees overhanging streetlights and near power lines, aiming to prevent future incidents and ensure safety.”
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