Despite frequent posts by the local ANC Councillor informing residents that the ANC led Tshwane Council is ‘hands on’ and giving attention to non-functioning streetlights in the Laudium/Erasmia area, many residents are still in the dark.
The residents say that their streetlights have not been working for years, despite Cllr Patel often singing praises of the Council for ‘fixing’ the street lights in the area. This time residents of Salmon Street, Laudium, have complained to the Laudium Sun that their streetlights have not been working for more than two years now and despite complaining to both the Council and Cllr Patel, the lights remain dysfunctional.
This follows residents in other areas, including Kathmandu Street, also complaining that their streetlights have not been working properly for about two years. Residents say that it seems that the ANC in the Tshwane Council is treating them as third class citizens, giving priority to those living in the former White suburbs, adding that they are now sick and tired of the poor service delivery from the Council.
Goolam Jalalpor, a concerned resident of Salmon Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I have lived my whole life on this street and I must say in days gone by, the streetlights and all other infrastructure which used to be run by the Centurion Council were well maintained and running. But now basic services in this community are running in the opposite direction, they are running down. There is not a single piece of infrastructure which is well maintained and running properly. The streetlights on Salmon Street have not been working for longer than two years. Our streetlights only worked for one day in the whole two years. So anyone can imagine what kind of world we are living in. This is really disgusting because a lot of crimes are happening due to the darkness of the street at night. Even the Emerald Street Park opposite our houses is really dark and it is hampering our area on a big scale. There are a lot of criminal activities happening in that park and I fear for my life. When darkness falls, the entire street becomes silent and tense and residents are even afraid to look outside, when they hear screaming from the park when someone is attacked by criminals. Children cannot play freely outside and elderly people cannot step out for fresh air in the evenings because the area has become too risky. I don’t understand why our Councillor cannot arrange for the streetlights to be fixed. Is it that you require a rocket scientist to make the street lights work? Honestly, I don’t feel safe in my area. For more than two years we have been living on a dark street and nothing permanent has been done to solve the problem. One day the lights worked and then again everything went dark. That is not a solution. That is just temporary action with no real commitment. Cllr Patel is focusing on so many unnecessary things, but the basic needs he cannot fulfill. Streetlights are not a luxury, they are a basic necessity for safety and security. We are paying for services, yet we are forced to live in darkness. This is really terrible. The darkness on the street and in the park has created fear among residents and we are constantly worried about crime. Salmon Street was once a peaceful place, but now lack of maintenance and poor service delivery have changed everything.”
Nathiya Moodley, a resident of Jacinth Street (near Salmon Str), told the Laudium Sun, “This darkness in our area is really bad. Even the streetlights on Jacinth Street are not working. We are afraid to walk down to Emerald Street at night because of the darkness of the Emerald Street Park and we can’t even see the criminals hanging around there. We pay Rates & Taxes, but we do not have a Councillor who ensures that we receive proper service delivery. Almost every day there is a show of messages on his group saying he did this and he did that, but the basic infrastructure, as simple as our streetlights, cannot be fixed. It is a shame and honestly, we need a new Councillor in this coming election. We cannot continue with this kind of Councillor for the residents of Laudium. We need someone who can be useful for necessary things, not just to be a celebrity of the town. We want all our basic infrastructure to be working again. It is frustrating to see that such an essential service is being ignored, while residents are left to deal with the consequences. Proper lighting is one of the most basic responsibilities in any community, yet both Salmon Street, the Emerald Street Park and Jacinth Street remain in darkness. This ongoing situation makes residents feel neglected and unheard. The lack of attention to simple infrastructure creates the impression that priorities are misplaced. When people are consistently paying for Municipal services, they expect accountability and visible results. Instead, there is disappointment and growing dissatisfaction among residents who feel that their concerns are not being taken seriously. The community deserves leadership that focuses on practical solutions and delivers on promises. Reliable infrastructure is not a luxury it is a necessity. Residents are calling for change, hoping that future leadership will restore proper service delivery and ensure that essential infrastructure functions the way it should.”
Vasanti Lavy of Salmon Street, told the Laudium Sun, “If we do the statistics, we will find that many of the streetlights in Laudium are not working, or have worked for a while and have again failed. This is pure negligence and laziness from our Council. The streetlights must be fixed and properly, because we know what goes on during night time. Criminals take more advantage to steal when streetlights are not working, so basically the Council is encouraging criminals to commit more crime in the darkness by not fixing the streetlights. When large parts of a community remain without proper lighting, it creates serious concern among residents who feel exposed and unprotected. Darkness makes it easier for unlawful activities to take place without being noticed and this increases anxiety among families living in the area. Working streetlights are one of the most visible signs of proper service delivery and when this fails on such a wide scale, it raises questions about maintenance and oversight. Residents expect accountability and timely repairs, especially when the issue affects the majority of the suburb.”
