Windhoek commits N$12m to map street lights

The City of Windhoek has committed approximately N$12 million to a comprehensive street light survey to modernise the management of public lighting infrastructure and improve safety.

The 28-month project, which began on 15 July, will see every municipal street light physically inspected, mapped and digitally recorded in what the City says will become its first complete street light asset register.

Windhoek’s streetlighting network has expanded to more than 17 000 street lights, requiring a more structured approach to maintenance, planning and investment. “Approximately N$12 million has been committed to the implementation of the project, demonstrating the City's continued investment in critical infrastructure and improved municipal service delivery,” the municipality said in a statement.

The survey will allow the municipality to create a detailed digital record of each street light, including its location, electrical supply point, pole type, lantern type, wattage and structural condition.

The City said the information would improve fault detection, maintenance scheduling, budgeting and future infrastructure expansion by providing a clearer picture of the condition of its streetlighting network. “The continued growth of the network and increasing maintenance demands have highlighted the need for a more integrated, proactive and data-driven approach to infrastructure management,” it said.

Costly repairs

The move follows growing concerns over the cost of maintaining and repairing essential urban infrastructure, including traffic control systems. Earlier this year, the City revealed that it spends approximately N$4 million annually maintaining 165 traffic light-controlled intersections across Windhoek, with vehicle-related damage placing additional pressure on municipal resources.

City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya at the time said installing a new traffic light at an intersection can cost between N$400 000 and N$700 000, depending on the complexity of the site.

Over the past two years, the municipality spent about N$500 000 repairing damaged traffic lights, with monthly incidents ranging between five and seven cases. “Individuals who cause damage to traffic lights are held responsible for repair or replacement costs,” Amutenya said, adding that accountability is sometimes difficult where accidents go unreported, or motorists leave the scene.

The ongoing costs associated with damaged municipal infrastructure have highlighted the importance of better asset tracking and preventative maintenance systems, an approach the City hopes the street light survey will support.

Unlike traditional maintenance methods that rely largely on residents reporting faults, the survey will enable the City to identify problems earlier and plan interventions before failures occur.

Dedicated teams

As defective street lights are identified during the survey, repair and maintenance work will be carried out progressively. To support implementation, the municipality has developed a digital field data collection platform and a real-time monitoring dashboard in partnership with its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team.

Dedicated field devices have been procured and configured to allow survey teams to capture and transmit information electronically while working across Windhoek.

The City is also recruiting 34 fixed-term technical personnel to assist with the project. So far, 30 employees have been recruited and inducted, while recruitment for the remaining positions is underway. “All personnel will undergo specialised training to ensure the quality, consistency and accuracy of the data collected", the City said.

A dedicated project fleet is also being finalised to allow teams to conduct inspections across all suburbs. Once completed, the digital street light asset register is expected to strengthen the City’s ability to make informed infrastructure investment decisions and improve service delivery.

Residents, businesses and neighbourhood watch groups have been encouraged to continue reporting faulty street lights, damaged poles and vandalised infrastructure through the customer contact centre on 081 950 3777, via email at [email protected], or through the City of Windhoek App.

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