– Streetlight vandalism has surged across Kimberley.
– DA proposes stronger, harder-to-vandalise streetlight infrastructure.
– Ringfencing electricity revenue must fund infrastructure protection.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on Sol Plaatje Municipal Manager, Thapelo Matlala, together with the South African Police Service (SAPS), to implement a multi-pronged strategy to protect municipal infrastructure as streetlight vandalism and theft escalate across Kimberley, with numerous incidents reported in Hadison Park last week.
The most common form of vandalism appears to be the removal of breakers from streetlight poles. Repairs are costly and can take considerable time, while contractors struggle to keep pace with the damage and residents get left in the dark.
The attack on streetlights follows a recent spate of incidents in which electricity boxes across the city were deliberately set alight.
The DA has laid a criminal charge at Kimberley Police Station relating to damage to municipal streetlights. We have also previously called on SAPS to urgently tackle Kimberley’s flourishing illegal metal trade, which is contributing to the theft and vandalism of essential infrastructure.
While catching and convicting perpetrators is critical to stopping infrastructure crime, the municipality must also take practical steps to make its infrastructure more difficult to target.
I therefore submitted an urgent proposal to Sol Plaatje Municipality recommending that it consider returning to concrete streetlight poles and positioning breaker access points higher up on the poles.
These measures would make breakers more difficult to access and tamper with, while concrete poles would be less vulnerable to rust and harder to cut down for cable harvesting. Over time, this could reduce repair and replacement costs, improve the reliability of street lighting, and enhance safety for residents.
Additionally, the municipal council should pass our motion to ringfence electricity-generated revenue for infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, as this will help to fund the replacement of these poles.
The DA has requested that the municipality respond within 14 days. We will continue to push for practical measures that protect municipal infrastructure, improve service delivery and make our communities safer.
Municipal infrastructure belongs to the community and protecting it means safeguarding public money, essential services and the safety of residents.