Broken streetlights leave Durban in the dark
The Head of Electricity, Maxwell Mthembu admitted there has been a delay in the contract to fix the street lights and that the 14 day cooling off period has now passed and the contract has been signed.
Cable theft and vandalism are believed to be the reason many streets in Durban have been left with broken streetlights.
The SUN reported previously that the municipality will take several months to repair and switch on more than 300 faulty street lights across the Bluff area and the rest of the city.
Bluff ward councillor JP Prinsloo said the lack of proper planning by the city over the last eight months has contributed to the delay.
Most Bluff streets have at least one non-working street light, which leaves residents in the dark and provides an ideal environment for criminals to threaten the community’s safety.
Questions addressed to the head of electricity, Maxwell Mthembu at a Human Settlement Infrastructure committee meeting focused on why streetlights have not being fixed anywhere in the city.
Mthembu admitted that there is a challenge.
He blames cable theft and vandalisation for the delays. He also reported that a lot of breakers are being stolen from the light poles as the powder is allegedly used to make Woonga.
Lastly, he admitted that there has been a delay in the contract to fix the street lights and that the 14 day cooling off period has now passed and the contract has been signed.
He said that the teams will now be on the ground fixing lights. He estimates that between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of streetlights across the city are broken.
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