This year celebrates 10 years since residents in Blanchville asked for a streetlight in a very dark cul-de-sac.
The Raadsaal Street cul-de-sac only has one streetlight. The dark shadows are the ideal hideaway for criminals lurking in the dark.
“eMalahleni has the highest crime rate in the country, as such it is necessary to take all precautions to keep our families safe,” Mr Valentine Zwane said.
Zwane’s daughter Sharon told WITBANK NEWS that a few months ago she saw two men carrying sound systems jumping over the wall by the cul-de-sac.
This is the letter dated 2007 that Mr Valentine Zwane wrote to the municipality requesting a streetlight in a dark cul-de-sac.
The neighbourhood watch was alerted and gave chase. It was later discovered that the thieves broke into a nearby guesthouse and ransacked it. The goods were returned to the guesthouse.
After years of begging the municipality for adequate lighting a resident offered to buy a streetlight if the municipality would just come and erect it.
But doing so is not that easy. The streetlight will cost R5100.
The municipality said the CPL 100 model type SON 70/1/100W or HPI 70/100W type light must be mounted on a 6m pole.
Then there is no guarantee that the municipality would erect the streetlight soon.
“eMalahleni is crime-riddled. We really need that streetlight. On whose door can we go and knock next. Our pleas are falling on deaf ears,” Zwane said.
Municipal spokesperson, Mr Kingdom Mabuza said they hope to fast track the process and get a streetlight erected soon.
ALSO READ
https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/69945/and-the-lights-are-still-out/
https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/73684/pushed-up-against-a-light-pole/
