South African city spent R1.1 million to protect one road’s streetlights from criminals

[Newsfeed]

South African city spent R1.1 million to protect one road’s streetlights from criminals

The City of Cape Town was forced to spend R1.1 million to upgrade the streetlights along a single road following repeated incidents of infrastructure theft and vandalism.

 

[Naaimasjien]

"South African city"

What possible reason could you have not to say Cape Town in the headline?

 

[ToxicBunny]

"South African city"

What possible reason could you have not to say Cape Town in the headline?

Made you click.

 

[Bad Ballie]

Snipers would be effective.

 

[The_David]

can we start a pool on how long it takes for these lights to Houdini?

 

[Gordon_R]

That's quite a pole!

 

[dualmeister]

Isn't it cheaper to pay some card guards to patrol?

 

[The_David]

That's quite a pole!

@ShaunSA thoughts?

 

[dualmeister]

@ShaunSA thoughts?

"He's seen bigger"

 

[ShaunSA]

@ShaunSA thoughts?

See #9

 

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

"South African city"

What possible reason could you have not to say Cape Town in the headline?

 

[hj007]

So why do other countries not have rampant cable theft? Or do they just not have street lights anymore?

 

[thestaggy]

Snipers would be effective.

Ambush drones like they use in Ukraine.

Connect them to seismic sensors. If some sh*thead starts digging, they are activated.

 

[Foxhound5366]

Have any of you Johannesburg residents noticed that the only traffic lights on Winnie Mandela Drive (former William Nicol) near Montecasino which are actually working are the ones with the big concrete sleeves around them? No dancers or beggars there, what a surprise.

I don't know how much those concret sleeves cost, but compared to the thousands of wasted man hours on William Nicol alone, surely it's worth investing more into that. It seems to work, which is rare.

 

[garyc]

The article and the map say that this is 35th Ave. The photo looks more like the nearby 35th Street, which is a major through route rather than a small suburban road.

 

[Gordon_R]

The article and the map say that this is 35th Ave. The photo looks more like the nearby 35th Street, which is a major through route rather than a small suburban road.

Thanks. I don't know the area, but the aerial photo and description do not match the headline photo...

P.S. Where I live streets are narrow and avenues are wide, so a very easy mistake to make...

Edit: The official name for 35th street is the M12, which is much bigger than the article would suggest. Google says 3.4 kilometers long.

 

[Gordon_R]

So why do other countries not have rampant cable theft? Or do they just not have street lights anymore?

Cable theft is a worldwide problem. SA just sucks at law enforcement. Google:

Other countries do experience cable theft, though the scale and impact vary significantly depending on local law enforcement, infrastructure design, and the regulation of scrap metal markets.

 

[whatwhat]

Africa gonna Africa.

 

[supersunbird]

So why do other countries not have rampant cable theft? Or do they just not have street lights anymore?

 

[thestaggy]

Have any of you Johannesburg residents noticed that the only traffic lights on Winnie Mandela Drive (former William Nicol) near Montecasino which are actually working are the ones with the big concrete sleeves around them? No dancers or beggars there, what a surprise.

I don't know how much those concret sleeves cost, but compared to the thousands of wasted man hours on William Nicol alone, surely it's worth investing more into that. It seems to work, which is rare.

Probably comes down to safety in terms of a car hitting one of them.

As we know, for many South Africans a red light is a suggestion, so many a braindead skips them and then traffic lights get wiped out.