Energy teams attend to 8 532 streetlight related requests between February and March
15 April 2026
The City’s Energy teams attended to 8 532 streetlight-related service requests between 26 February and 25 March 2026. The City’s sustained performance can be attributed to an operational decision to conduct additional nighttime patrols, enabling teams to proactively identify and repair streetlight outages.
The City recorded and resolved a total of 26 179 electricity-related service requests between February and March 2026.
‘Our teams have resolved an average of more than 300 streetlight service requests per day. This steady performance is partly due to our targeted interventions, including the Energy Directorate’s introduction of night time patrols to assess public lighting burn rates and log faulty streetlights. These efforts are focused across the City, particularly in areas with low burn rates and under-reporting of faulty streetlights.
‘Area East continues to record the highest number of streetlight service requests attended to, with a total of 3 501. This is 102 more service requests attended to when compared to figures reported in the previous month. This area includes Helderberg, Oostenberg, Bloemhof, and Parow. While high volumes of service requests reflect active reporting by residents in these areas, they also indicate repeated acts of criminality targeting our infrastructure. Theft, vandalism, and illegal electricity connections continue to pose a significant challenge across all communities. Our teams remain actively deployed on the ground, working closely with Law Enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
‘The City’s Energy teams thank residents for their continued support in reporting faulty streetlights. This plays a vital role in enabling our teams to respond to faults more quickly and efficiently across our areas. Residents are encouraged to keep assisting by reporting faults and to remain vigilant by reporting any suspicious activity near critical infrastructure to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the City.
‘In the current financial year, R75,5 million has been budgeted for the upgrade and expansion of streetlights across the city. We are also advancing anti-vandalism technologies to protect our infrastructure and deter criminals disrupting electricity services,' said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Alderman Xanthea Limberg.
City Interventions
The City has launched Protect Your Power, a first-of-its-kind campaign highlighting the impact of vandalism, theft, and illegal connections that leave communities in the dark.
Energy Safety Team and City Law Enforcement continue to be visible in all hotspot areas.
The City is exploring and aims to expand anti-theft and vandalism tech solutions.
We are installing low-street-value equipment in place of copper to discourage theft and vandalism.
We are welding access points to our infrastructure to deter and complicate access through forced entry.
We ask members of the public to report any suspicious behaviour to us so that we can Protect Your Power together. Electrical infrastructure is typically situated in our communities, often abutting private property. Swift reporting will enable the City to act with speed to prevent extensive damage.
Streetlight-related requests attended to per metro area:
Theft and vandalism remains the biggest driver of streetlight, and power outages
| Area | Requests attended |
| East (Helderberg| Oostenberg | Bloemhof | Parow) | 3 501 |
| North (Vanguard | Mowbray | City | Atlantis) | 1 771 |
| South (Mitchells Plain | Wynberg | Gugulethu | Muizenberg) | 3 210 |
*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.
Let’s ACT: Protect Your Power against theft, illegal connections and vandalism
Report suspicious behaviour to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre: 021 480 7700
Report illegal scrap yards to the ‘Copperheads’: 0800 222 771 (toll free, 24/7, anonymous tip-offs)
SAPS remains the lead authority in crime prevention.
Report to the City
Streetlight and electricity faults:
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
