Note to Broadcasters: Please find linked soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Cllr Johannes le Grange.
The DA in the City of Matlosana raised concerns in Council, specifically the municipality’s failure to service the broken streetlight backlog. About half of the municipality’s 13,000 streetlights need urgent repair.
Matlosana’s unfunded budget will not be able to accommodate infrastructure upgrades. During Wednesday’s meeting, we were informed that only R4 million is available for the repair of streetlights, consumables, and minor repairs of other infrastructure.
The current price of LED replacement lights ranges from 70 to 400 watts per unit and costs between R1,980.00 for streetlights and R4,500.00 for high-mass lights.
The DA has been inundated with calls from residents throughout the municipality raising safety and security concerns because of the large number of broken streetlights in their communities.
Broken streetlights put the safety and security of residents, pedestrians, and motorists at risk. It also lends itself to an increase in crime under the cover of darkness.
After the DA emphasised the importance of prioritising funds for streetlight repairs, the municipal administration undertook to investigate how additional funding could be made available for the repair of broken streetlights.
We will also write to the Executive Mayor, Cllr James Tsolela, and the Municipal Manager, Lesego Seametso, requesting an adjustment proposal to the budget that will include more available funding for critical infrastructure repairs.
The DA will closely monitor the allocation of additional funding for the repair of streetlights to ensure that the backlog is addressed as a matter of urgency.