Cape Town - The City of Cape Town is appealing to people living close to Jan Smuts Drive near Athlone and Pinelands to be observant of crime activities, after a spike in the vandalism of street lights.
Last month alone the City replaced more than 20 street lights on this busy road and hotspots are being monitored.
Mayoral committee member for energy, Beverley van Reenen said, “Street light infrastructure in a part of Jan Smuts Drive has been targeted by criminals and our teams often need to repair the same damaged street light infrastructure. In March, the City repaired and replaced 20 street lights along that stretch.
“Our teams are on the ground and we are looking into ways to further protect our infrastructure, however, we are pleading with the community to take ownership by reporting any form of theft or vandalism to the authorities. We need the support of community members to put an end to this scourge,” Van Reenen said.
A victim of a smash and grab along this road, Nadia Osman, said there has been a surge in crime. About a week ago her car was one of six to eight cars that had their windscreens smashed when the lights were off.
“The night our car was stoned, the street lights were off. Also, crime increases during load shedding. Something needs to be done on that stretch of Jan Smuts Drive between the N2 and Klipfontein road. It’s not safe,” she said.