AA calls for transparency

The Automobile Association of South Africa wants municipalities to publish registers of broken traffic lights and streetlights before local government elections, including fault reference numbers and expected repair dates.

Why the timing matters

AA CEO Bobby Ramagwede said the appeal comes as elections approach, giving residents a chance to scrutinise service delivery and pressure municipalities to demonstrate they can respond to longstanding infrastructure failures.

“Governments have this acute ability of showing you how well they can actually do their job the closer they are to election time.”

Ramagwede's first step

Ramagwede said he assumed incompetence rather than malice and wanted municipalities to provide raw data on the extent of the problem before developing repair plans.

“Step number one, give me a register of the sheer breadth of the problem at hand. And don't skip, don't try to gloss over the numbers as well, because I need raw data.”

Pedestrians at risk

Ramagwede said broken traffic lights put pedestrians in particular danger because motorists often fail to give them right of way, despite rules governing intersections.

“When you, as a pedestrian, confront an intersection, you are playing Russian roulette with your life.”

Darkness compounds danger

The danger worsens after dark when broken streetlights make pedestrians harder for motorists to see, compounding the safety risk at malfunctioning intersections.

“I can't be seen because the streetlights are down, and then I'm still playing the same Russian roulette.”

Economic cost of delays

Ramagwede said queues at malfunctioning intersections force motorists to spend longer in traffic, burning fuel while making little progress and adding to household budget pressure.

“The longer you sit in traffic because you drive a combustion engine, the more money you're burning because the signalling mechanism doesn't work.”

Municipal failures blamed

Ramagwede criticised irregular tender processes and failures to appoint suitable contractors, saying municipalities needed to address administrative problems hindering repairs.

“because you'd rather steal than actually deliver on the mandate.”

Nelson Mandela Bay's crisis

Nelson Mandela Bay has faced persistent failures maintaining traffic lights and streetlights amid mounting criticism over repair and installation contract handling.

Vandalism and audit risk

In July, Nelson Mandela Bay's MMC for Roads and Transport Yolisa Pali-Jongilanga said the metro could not justify repeatedly repairing vandalised traffic lights, warning the recurring expense posed a serious audit risk.

“We cannot afford to continuously repair the same traffic lights every three months due to repeated acts of vandalism.”

Coordinated theft suspected

Pali-Jongilanga warned that vandals appeared coordinated and trained, knowing how to handle live electricity cables, and suggested the matter needed investigation.

“These vandals are not your regular criminals; they seem coordinated. They know how to deal with live electricity cables. Something is fishy and needs to be investigated.”

Streetlight project halted

Nelson Mandela Bay halted its streetlight repair and installation project amid concerns about price discrepancies, questionable contractor appointments and procurement irregularities, with the electricity directorate calling for an independent audit.

Investigation into officials

A Special Investigating Unit investigation into streetlight tenders implicated twenty-one municipal officials, with external lawyers appointed to assess possible disciplinary action and precautionary suspensions.

Dyer's protest yields nothing

In July, businessman Jevon Dyer dumped broken traffic lights outside Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality's customer care office in Kariega to protest infrastructure failures. Months later, nothing has changed.

“There's been no reaction.”

Dyer questions the audit

Dyer questioned whether a municipality-wide audit would waste money when officials should already know which signals work, noting Uitenhage has only three working traffic lights.

“The first thing I thought was that they don't need to drive around to find out how many are broken. They know how many are working. In Uitenhage, we have three working traffic lights.”

AA promises continued pressure

Ramagwede acknowledged residents' disillusionment but said the AA would continue pressing municipalities to respond, escalating to provincial and national level if necessary.

“When we have a bone to pick, trust me, we pick that bone. And we will continue to pick that bone and single out delinquent municipalities until we get something.”

Road conditions questioned

Ramagwede expressed scepticism about Nelson Mandela Bay's overall road conditions, comparing them unfavourably with the Western Cape and Gauteng, and arguing a coastal region should prepare for severe weather.

“What roads? What roads? I'm being honest. What roads?”