Capetonians have noticed that the city seems to have an inconsistent street light schedule, as some areas have lights burning throughout the day and night, while others have their lights out completely.
As reported by IOL, a Plumstead resident laid a complaint to the City of Cape Town as he believes this trend is a waste of both taxpayer money and electrical resources.
According to Mayco Member for Energy and Climate Change, Phindile Maxiti, the lights in this area have been left on for construction purposes. “There are fibre optic contractors working in the area and leaving the street lights on during the day, while the contractors are digging, makes it easier to identify damage to cables,” he said. “Once the fibre optic contractors move out of the area, the department will restore the lighting back to normal.”
The resident, however, claims that he has reported the problem several times over the past 24 months.
“Each time it is repaired, it lasts a few weeks and then the fault is back and must be reported again. On Friday evening last week, I noticed that the lights in our street were out yet again. Simultaneously, the lights in other roads in the vicinity are burning all day and night, wasting electricity and taxpayers’ money,” he said. “On Saturday, October 12, I reported the matter to the electricity department. On Monday, around mid-morning, an electricity department truck drove slowly through the area and disappeared. As yet, nothing has been done. The lights that were on 24/7 are still burning and the lights that are off did not come on last night, resulting in a dangerous situation which criminals like.”
“Our notification history does not show an abnormality in the Plumstead area at this time. However, we will carry out the necessary checks once the contractors move out of the area. Currently, there are approximately four contractors working in the area,” Maxiti countered.
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