9 800 streetlights repaired, 35 000 electricity service requests attended to over July

12 August 2025

City energy teams attended to more than 9 800 streetlight repairs over July, out of a total of approximately 35 000 electricity-related service requests.

'Over the month in review, Area East which includes Parow and Goodwood, and Area South, which includes Mitchells Plain, Gugulethu, Wynberg and Muizenberg unfortunately experienced the highest number of streetlight-related repairs with more than 7 200 combined cases. The predominant cause of these faults is due to vandalism and theft related damage to infrastructure where electricity cables, transformers, streetlights, and substations along with other equipment located in our communities continue to be targeted. Our energy and law enforcement teams continue to be visible in all hotspot areas and we ask our residents to alert us to any suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods. 

We recently saw positive action with the successful prosecution and imprisonment of a cable thief and we will continue to support our law enforcement agencies and SAPS in our fight against vandals and infrastructure thieves.

‘Our Protect Your Power campaign will also continue to be rolled out in all communities, especially hotspot areas to drive awareness and to ensure our customers know which channels to report the criminal acts of vandalism, theft and illegal connections,' said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Alderman Xanthea Limberg.
The City maintains more than 245 000 streetlights across the metro.

 Requests attended to per metro area - theft and vandalism - remains the biggest driver of streetlight, and power outages:

Protect Your Power
Report suspicious behaviour to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre: 021 480 7700
The SAPS remains the lead authority in crime prevention.

*Note: the data looks at all streetlight-related service requests closed over a particular two-week period. Data is dynamic and new requests are constantly added to the already logged requests, as well as historic service requests. The data looks only at streetlight-related requests and does not include other energy service requests attended to over the period in review.
For service requests:

First please log a request online: www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests
Or:
Phone: 086 0103 089 (Option 3)
Email: power@capetown.gov.za
SMS: 31220

End

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office