Street lights have become burning issue for residents
"I DON’T know what Sol Plaatje Municipality is thinking, but during the day the street lights are on and at night they are off. Perhaps there is a reason for that; please explain it to us so that we can all understand.”
This remark was made by a fed-up Riviera homeowner, but he is not the only one; residents throughout Kimberley are troubled by this issue and no matter how many reference numbers they receive from the municipality, the lights remain off in many areas.
"If you look down Brennan Road here in Verwoerdpark, there is nothing to be seen; the only lights on are those on the homeowners’ walls,” the resident pointed out.
“There was an accident that happened here on the corner around two weeks ago. I am confident that if there had been lights on the road then the motorist would have seen the stop street.”
Because crime is a serious concern and criminals like to target dark locations, the majority of Kimberley residents are worried when street lights malfunction in their neighbourhoods. It is therefore understandable why residents become irate when the lights go out and remain out for several weeks at a time. To be able to conduct their regular business, they require information regarding when the issue will be resolved.
According to Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Thoko Riet, the city has a plan in place to handle all street light and high-mast issues.
“The first pocket is responsible for clearing all backlogs as part of the strategic plan. The city is now launching a retrofit LED campaign focusing on important streets,” Riet said.
Riet said that street lights are mostly turned on in high-traffic areas, which means that they are left on to stop theft or vandalism of the infrastructure.
“We also discovered that timers frequently misfire in places where they have been installed, especially following load shedding interruptions.”
Riet said further that the municipality once again requested residents to take care of the local infrastructure and to remain vigilant, and should they observe any illicit activity or vandalism to contact local law enforcement officials.