Only 77 out of 196 broken traffic lights in Gauteng will be fixed due to insufficient budget. This means while less than 40% of traffic lights get repaired, 119 lights will be left vandalised and broken, putting the lives of our residents who use these routes at risk, as they will be exposed not only to more accidents but become prone to acts of crime such as hijacking and muggings.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Logistics has allocated an additional R80 million to repair broken and vandalised traffic lights, which is insufficient. Out of 547 traffic lights owned by the department, 196 are nonfunctional. Based on the available budget the remaining traffic lights will be fixed subject to the availability of funds.
In a reply to the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng’s questions posed in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), the department requires a total of R176 400 000 to fix all the broken traffic lights owned by the GPG.
According to the Gauteng MEC for Roads and Logistics, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, the traffic lights have been vandalised. While the MEC is in the process of engaging Treasury to source extra funding for fixing traffic lights, we urge her to continue the engagement. We also suggest that the MEC consider a public-private partnership to assist with the repair and maintenance of traffic lights.
Furthermore, underspending on the allocated budget has been the norm in this department, and money has been returned to the Treasury every financial year. We suggest that MEC Diale-Tlabela should prioritise shifting funds within the department to accommodate pressing issues such as traffic lights.
The DA Gauteng demands that the MEC immediately work with the Gauteng Department of Community Safety to ensure that the traffic lights are safeguarded and not vandalised for the copper to be sold to scrap yards.
A DA-led Gauteng provincial government would immediately establish a working relationship with the Gauteng Department of Community Safety to safeguard all critical infrastructure, including our traffic lights. We will also partner with the private sector for the maintenance and repair of traffic lights.