City Power’s project to retrofit all Johannesburg’s streetlights with LED technology is gathering pace as the city of gold begins to be lit with energy saving and environmentally friendly light. 

In a press release, the MMC for Environmental and Infrastructure services( EISD) Michael Sun said he is delighted  that this pilot project is the beginning to ‘ improve Johannesburg’s energy position impact the lives of our residents’. 

“The LED units that City Power is deploying, will on average save five times more energy than the old streetlight technology being replaced. Reducing pressure on our already strained network and conserving energy that will ultimately help to prevent outages.” 

As of the end of the July over 2000 LED streetlights have been fitted in areas across the City. The LED units conserve significant power as well as providing a pure white light that shines further and assist security initiatives. The units also have built-in meters that will measure consumption in direct Eskom-supplied areas that will prevent a reliance on estimations when billing is processed. 

“With a ten to fifteen year lifespan these LED units will save City Power significant maintenance hours that can be redirected to upgrading the network and dealing with outages and cable theft,” Sun said. 

“But the energy, funds and working hours that will be saved through this project will only be beneficial if communities help ensure vandals and cable thieves stay far away from these new LED units.” 

Theft and vandalism of streetlights and other City Power infrastructure remains rife in spite of efforts by City Power, JMPD and SAPS to stop this scourge. Johannesburg residents are encouraged to promptly report any damaged electrical infrastructure or suspicious behaviour in their communities. 

“Cable Thieves may be arrested but will only face jail time for stealing and destroying infrastructure if evidence is provided when a case is opened with the police. City Power is thus appealing for any information relating to cable theft,” 

“City Power has several hotlines and a WhatsApp number where residents can call the alarm on cable theft. Even if we have the smallest piece of evidence, we will be able to use this to put cable thieves behind bars where belong.” 

A cable thief was sentenced to 12 years in prison in July after stealing City Power cabling in Honeydew in September 2021. Their conviction was only possible through community involvement after residents promptly reported the incident to City Power.