City responds to comments made at the Crime Summit in Khayelitsha

GroundUp reported that Ndithini Tyhido, chairperson of the Khayelitsha Development Forum, which hosted the event, said 20 high-mast lights were not working in Khayelitsha, not because of theft as was stated to the commission of inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha, but because the City had chosen to buy lights from an international source and parts took months to arrive.

The City has rejected this claim. Cllr Sonnenberg, Mayoral Committee Member for Utility Services, says:

“Without specifics, it is difficult to respond to the comments made by Mr Tyhido.

“There are approximately 215 high-mast lights in Khayelitsha, thus isolating the 20 being referred to is not possible without street names, etc.

“The City can, however, confirm that a significant number of high mast lights are damaged as a result of vandalism and/or theft. The City does everything possible to restore them within the quickest time possible and their maintenance is not dependent on international supply of products.

“There are some new installations that are taking place at present and it is possible that the complainant is conflating two issues, i.e. new installations and operational maintenance. However, we can confirm that none of the new installations are using or reliant upon internationally sourced products.”