With a budget of approximately R10 million, the Electricity and Energy Directorate has been prioritising street lights in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, with new retrofit, energy-saving LED lights being installed.
All the broken lights across the metro and the ones that are faulty are being replaced with the LED lights, and these are mostly in the main streets across the Bay.
So far, more than 1 000 of these lights have been installed and about 60% of the budget spent. The project will run for the rest of the financial year and more money will be set aside in the new financial year to expand the exchange.
MMC for Electricity and Energy in the metro, Lance Grootboom, said that these lights have day and night switches, which means that there will be no more lights left on during the day. They will now automatically switch off in daylight, and on at night, to ensure that electricity is being saved and the unnecessary load on the grid is reduced.
“Where lights are still on during the day, those day and night switches are being repaired. Our teams are working daily to reduce the backlog of faulty street lights and we remain committed to this mandate,” he said.
He explained that this month, the municipality is starting with a pilot project where solar high mast lights will be installed in the northern areas and this will be specifically to curb vandalism.
“The guys are still stealing our cables so we are now looking at lights where we don’t have to make use of cables. The benefit of these solar panels is that the lights will remain on at night, even during loadshedding. That is the aim,” he said.
Grootboom added that the LED lights lighting up Nelson Mandela Bay are vital, especially since they are prioritising overcoming loadshedding in the metro.
“Please continue to support us by reporting faulty street lights and informing us when our infrastructure is being vandalised. We can only win with your cooperation,” he pleaded with residents.
This project to install new lighting comes with this directorate’s project of lighting up the metro again by fixing broken street lights.
PE Expresspreviously reported on the municipality now using aluminium instead of copper cables to fight vandalism.
This is because aluminium has no market value and there is therefore no reason to vandalise and steal it.
