The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has urged residents to report vandalised or damaged tower lights, saying prompt reporting is essential for maintaining public lighting infrastructure and improving safety across the city.
The appeal comes amid growing concerns from residents in several suburbs over non-functioning tower lights, which they say are leaving communities in darkness and increasing the risk of crime.
Responding to residents’ concerns in an interview with CITE, BCC Corporate Communications Officer Bongiwe Ngwenya said the municipality pays for the operation of all tower lights and relies on residents to alert authorities when faults or vandalism occur.
Ngwenya said some damaged lights remain unrepaired because council is not always aware of the problem.
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“The tower lights in all areas are paid for by the City Council, just like the traffic lights you see across the city. Residents should report any tower light that has been vandalised or damaged because if incidents are not reported, we may not be aware that there is a problem. They can contact our call centre on 0774668432 whenever anything has happened to the tower lights that have been installed,” said Ngwenya.
Residents from different suburbs have raised concerns about the increasing number of tower lights that are no longer functioning, saying poor lighting has contributed to safety and security challenges in their communities.
Proportional Representation Councillor Siboniso Moyo, said vandalism has become one of the biggest challenges affecting tower lights in the area. She said while some lights are damaged by thieves, others stop functioning shortly after installation.
“Most tower lights don’t work, while others have been vandalised by thieves. Some of the lights do not last long after installation and quickly become non-functional. As a result, residents are now installing their own floodlights to improve security in their neighbourhoods. Just recently, a resident had their cellphone stolen at around 7pm because the area was dark and visibility was poor,” said Moyo.
She added that residents have also raised concerns about alleged electricity theft linked to tower light infrastructure.
Moyo said there have been reports suggesting that some individuals may be illegally connecting electrical cables from their homes to tower lights to access electricity supplied and paid for by the council.
“I cannot confirm how true the reports are, but there are allegations that some people are connecting electricity wires from their homes to the tower lights because they know the City Council pays for the electricity. Some are allegedly using the power for personal purposes, which may also be contributing to the problems affecting the lights,” she said.
Similar concerns have been raised in Entumbane, where residents say several tower lights have remained out of service for extended periods.
Resident Nkosikhona Mlilo said damaged and non-functioning tower lights have become a common sight in the suburb, leaving many areas poorly lit at night.
“Most tower lights are damaged and some have not been working for a long time. This has left several sections of the community in darkness, making residents feel unsafe when moving around during the evening. The City Council should prioritise repairing damaged lights and replacing those that have been vandalised so that communities can benefit from proper lighting and improved security,” said Mlilo.
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