WELKOM – The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Matjhabeng plans to escalate concerns over broken streetlights and shortages of replacement globes and fittings to the Free State Provincial Legislature and Provincial Treasury, alleging that residents’ safety is being put at risk by darkened streets.

Piet Botha, the DA’s mayoral candidate for Matjhabeng Local Municipality, said residents had reportedly been told to buy replacement globes and fittings from a local agent when streetlights stopped working.

The municipality’s failure to repair broken streetlights leaves residents vulnerable to crime, with the party planning to raise the issue with the Provincial Legislature and Treasury – Piet Botha

According to Botha, the arrangement places an additional burden on residents and leaves affected streets in darkness while repairs remain outstanding.

More than 80% of streetlights in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality are non-functional, prompting the Democratic Alliance (DA) to escalate the ongoing lighting and infrastructure crisis.

He warned that poorly lit streets could make it more difficult for residents to move around safely at night and could provide cover for criminals targeting vulnerable members of the community.

“Residents’ safety is being put at risk because streetlights cannot be repaired, leaving suburbs in darkness,” Botha said.

Key details

• Extent of the crisis: Over 80% of municipal streetlights remain broken or unlit, leaving neighborhoods in the dark and increasing safety and crime risks for residents.
• DA Action: The DA is escalating the municipality’s failure to fix broken streetlights—including missing globes and electrical fittings—to higher authorities, noting that previous interventions and mayoral promises have failed to resolve widespread outages.
• Underlying Issues: The municipality attributes many of the delays to vandalism, cable theft, and a massive backlog in electrical maintenance, while opposition groups cite municipal neglect and financial mismanagement.
• Recent Local Response: Matjhabeng has launched ward-to-ward service delivery campaigns (such as in Wards 30 and 31) aiming to address streetlighting and other infrastructure backlogs, though the DA continues to apply pressure for accountability and permanent fixes through official channels.

He also raised concerns about the potential risks facing women, including the threat of assault and other violent crimes in poorly lit areas.

Botha referred to recent media reports about the murders of 12 women in Ekurhuleni, saying the reports had heightened his concerns about the consequences of inadequate public lighting.

He described the municipality’s reported inability to repair streetlights as “criminal and grossly negligent”, arguing that residents should not have to source replacement components themselves to restore essential public infrastructure.

The DA says it intends to take the matter to the Provincial Legislature and Provincial Treasury to seek intervention over the reported failures.

Intervention sought

Streetlights are an important part of public infrastructure, helping to improve visibility for pedestrians and motorists after dark. Their failure can also heighten residents’ concerns about safety in residential areas.

The municipality’s response to the allegations, including the reported shortage of replacement components and the process for repairing faulty streetlights, was not included in the DA’s statement.

Botha also urged residents to support the DA in the municipal elections scheduled for 4 November 2026, calling on voters to cast their votes for the party on all three ballot papers.

The planned escalation places the spotlight on the maintenance of basic municipal infrastructure in Matjhabeng and the responsibility to ensure that streetlights are repaired without placing the burden on residents.

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