Joburg in decay: JRA and City Power's 'arrogance' plunges residents into darkness as traffic and street lights stay dead

There are no signs of repairs to traffic and street lights across the City of Johannesburg, with more than 20 traffic lights not working, nearly 20 vandalised, and around 30 street lights either out of order, damaged, or stolen in Joburg North, at Cosmo City, Zandspruit, and Randburg.

Darkness and traffic jams have become everyday norms for residents in these areas.

The bad state of the city’s infrastructure was revealed during a site visit by IOL News, which found that the city is in a state of decay, with no signs of repairs. 

The long-standing issue of non-functioning traffic lights has plagued residents for years.

In Cosmo City, north of Joburg, we found that at the busy intersection of Malibongwe Drive and South Africa Drive, near Cosmo City Mall, 12 traffic lights were not working. 

Informal pointsmen were seen directing traffic, as jams worsened due to the outage.

Speaking with IOL News, one of the informal pointsmen, Sipho Maseko from Extension 7, said the absence of Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers at the intersection drove him to take on the voluntary role.

“This road is very busy every night, different modes of transport are passing by here, so I decided to direct traffic as there are no metro police officers employed to assist here,” he said.

Though Maseko has no formal training, he said he was acting out of desperation to make ends meet.

“I am just helping out with controlling traffic, and people, especially drivers, appreciate our work because sometimes it gets worse with motorists even clashing for passing in absence of traffic lights not working,” said Maseko, who also begs at the intersection. 

“No one taught me how to do this job, life is hard and there are no jobs these days, so this is what keeps me busy.”

JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla blamed the high rate of vandalism, adverse weather, and power outages for the non-functioning lights.

“This has led to heavy traffic congestion during peak hour periods in the morning and in the afternoon. Now taking a step forward to alleviating congestion during these periods, the JMPD Chief of Police Commissioner Patrick Jaka has issued a directive that all Metro Police officers must take up point duty during these periods, that's between six and nine in the morning and three and six in the afternoon,” he said.

“Now JMPD officers have various responsibilities ranging from crime prevention, bylaws enforcement, attending to protests, life-threatening and non-life-threatening emergencies within the city,” he added.

Fihla said officers cannot be present at every intersection.

“So unfortunately officers cannot be at every single corner and every intersection, so with the assistance of Traffic Free Flow, sponsored by our insurance, main arterials, heavily congested and major routes are prioritised.”

He said officers also monitor intersections outside peak hours, following numerous complaints about homeless people directing traffic.

“Metro police discourage motorists from giving homeless people money as an incentive to control traffic. This encourages them to continue and even go to the extent of tampering with traffic lights with the intention of making money, and it further endangers the lives of the homeless individuals as they may be run over by vehicles.”

“Now within the City of Johannesburg, when a traffic pointsman is not authorised by the city as a JMPD officer or a member from Traffic Free Flow sponsored by our insurance, the city will not be liable for any injuries or damages that may incur at that intersection,” said Fihla.

He urged motorists to obey road rules and treat faulty intersections as compulsory stops. 

He encouraged the public to report issues by calling the city's emergency numbers: 011 375 5911 or 0800 002 587.

In Randburg, near the taxi rank on Jan Smuts Avenue, traffic lights were not working. 

Two were out at the taxi rank’s exit, one was missing entirely, and another at the entrance was also not functioning. Two more were also missing along the same stretch.

At Zandspruit Informal Settlement, at the intersection of Beyers Naudé Drive and Marina Street near Zandspruit Shopping Centre, six traffic lights were missing, allegedly due to vandalism and illegal electricity connections.

Further along Beyers Naudé Drive, toward Randpark Ridge:

• Six traffic lights were missing.
• Three were not working.
• Two were reportedly stolen near Honeydew Police Station.
• One was missing at the intersection with John Vorster Road, near Lifestyle Garden Centre.

Midah Mzobe, 37, from Honeydew, expressed concern.

“We have been reporting this issue of the traffic lights not working and some being vandalised to community forums and ward councillors, including the city, but it looks like the city is not concerned about this,” she said.

“Some of the traffic lights have been missing and not working for over five years now, but yet they are failing to fix them.”

Meanwhile, Esther Schmidt, the acting head of the Department for Mobility and Freight at the city, denied that the metro has failed to address the issue.

“No. JRA has made good progress across the municipality, given that many of the sites referred to have recently been included from the province’s portfolio. The recent smart technology breakthrough has also led to good progress, but it requires intensive work, considering the challenges to be eliminated,” she said.

When asked about the overall state of traffic lights in Johannesburg, Schmidt also blamed theft, vandalism and power outages as the main causes.

“Besides the impact of theft and vandalism, together with power-related challenges which also make it easier for the scourge to take place, traffic signals do function as expected,” she told IOL News.

She said the Johannesburg Roads Agency’s (JRA) remote monitoring system helps teams detect faults before complaints are even lodged.

Of about 2,264 signalised sites, including provincial ones, approximately 75% are operational. 

Over 60% of the 25% that are not functional are down due to theft and vandalism.

According to Schmidt repairs are under way and R100 million is needed to restore all malfunctioning or missing traffic lights. 

She said reckless driving also contributes to damages, with JRA spending around R10 million annually on accident-related repairs over the past five or six years.

Another growing concern is the rising number of non-functioning street lights.

In Cosmo City, on South Africa Drive:

• Five lights were vandalized near Meridian High School.
• Two lights were missing near the multipurpose center.

In Zandspruit:

• Five lights were out near the Zandspruit Hyper Centre.
• Three were not working at the corner of Beyers Naudé Drive and Marina Street.
•  One was vandalised, four out, and nine stolen along Beyers Naudé toward Randpark Ridge.

Meanwhile, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena told IOL News that approximately 85% of Johannesburg’s streetlights are currently operational.

“In recent months, we have seen a sharp rise in infrastructure sabotage, especially in high-risk areas like Zandspruit, Cosmo City, and parts of Beyers Naudé Drive,” he said.

 “These criminal activities severely undermine service delivery and compromise public safety, particularly in vulnerable communities.”

Mangena said while their teams conduct regular spot checks, vandalism often undoes their work within days.

City Power manages nearly 300,000 streetlights. 

Of those, about 15% are non-functional, a number that fluctuates daily due to ongoing repairs, vandalism, power outages, and technical failures.

Mangena said the primary causes include theft and vandalism of cables, poles, and luminaires; illegal connections that damage substations; third-party faults, particularly in Eskom-supplied areas, accidents and storm-related damage; and deliberate destruction to create cover for criminal activity.

However, he said repairs are ongoing daily, but sourcing materials for vandalised infrastructure can cause delays.

He said a full inspection of South Africa Drive in Cosmo City has been completed, covering 110 streetlights. 

“Material procurement is underway and repairs will be prioritised for the severely affected areas which will include, five vandalised lights near Meridian High School, two lights missing near the Cosmo City Multipurpose Centre,” he said.

According to him, in Zandspruit, Eskom supply issues and illegal connections have compounded lighting problems, with a mini-substation removed by Eskom.

He said City Power is also rolling out solar lighting in high-theft zones and has installed three solar-powered high masts in Zandspruit and Malibongwe Ridge. 

Solar fittings cost around R39,000 each, while solar high-mast installations can cost up to R620,000, he said.

“While we repair daily and respond to logged faults, full restoration in high-risk areas can take longer due to recurring vandalism and the time required for insurance assessments.”

He said response times have improved from seven to 10 days to about 72 hours, adding that the power entity is also introducing remote monitoring, data-driven maintenance, and LED lighting to reduce outages and carbon emissions.

“We remain committed to delivering reliable, safe, and efficient street lighting to the residents of Johannesburg,” Mangena said. 

“However, community cooperation is essential. We urge residents to report vandalism, illegal connections, and suspicious activity to our security risk management on 011 490 7900/11,” he said.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL News