Project brings solar street lights to Site B

• Published date: 25 April 2024
• Author: Phiri Cawe phiri.cawe@acm.co.za
• Publication title: Vukani

That is thanks to an initiative by the two NGOs, People’s Environmental Planning (Pep) and Light Up in conjunction with an e-hailing company

On Friday April 19, an entourage of workers led by the local councillor, formally installed and switched on the lights stretching from UT to WA sections.

Pep’s Dolly Fanaphi said the project, worth millions, started a while ago when residents of these two informal settlements contacted them with the light problems, which left the area vulnerable to crime at night.

She said after talks with a few stakeholders they were lucky to have inDrive coming forward with the same proposal.

She said inDrive drivers were scared to come to the area at night and approached their bosses to do something in places that were always dark.

“People have always engaged us on the issue of unsafe areas. We had community engagements and workshops to create spaces between the shacks first. But part of it all we found is that lights are a challenge and a need. There is a high half mast light but it is not working. We also spoke to Lights Up and they came to us to tell us inDrive was also looking for a place where they could install lights,” she said.

She started working on the project in December and said the lights were installed on homes and outside toilets.

“As we speak now, we have installed 45 lights in one area and 30 in another one. These are small areas with no politics. That made our work much easier,” she said.

Vincent Lilane, inDrive’s business development representative, said he was happy to have been part of the project that seeks to help the communities of

Khayelitsha. He added that Khayelitsha residents, just like many other communities around Cape Town, have been battling the issue of having no street lights in their areas. Despite the improvements, major sections in Khayelitsha remain without functioning street lights.

“Our drivers could not work at night but it was not only about the drivers but for the...