Andrew
Sunday Mail Reporter
HARARE City Council (HCC), in partnership with Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) and Rwanda Energy Group, has embarked on a major street-lighting project in the capital city.
The pilot project will cover an initial 35 kilometres of the city’s major road networks, with 1 202 lights expected to be installed.
A back office with a management system that monitors performance of the lights and guards against vandalism will be set up.
HCC spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende said the lighting project will help curb crimes committed in the dark and boost businesses that operate at night.
“Our aim is to ensure that once we have completed this project, we make our neighbourhoods safer, roads better trafficable and generally enhance safety at night. We have several businesses that operate at night, so this should be good news to them.”
Previously, lights installed in some parts of the city have been vandalised.
Mr Ruwende, however, explained how the back office will help to prevent such criminal activities.
“As part of the project, we are going to have a back office with a management system that monitors performance of street lights. We will be able to control the switching on, the lighting levels and the dimming of the lights from our back office.
“The system enables the monitoring of performance and power consumption. If there are faults and cases of vandalism, the system picks it up as it happens in real-time.
“The Smartec Solution also allows us to install security cameras so that we are able to view what happens on the roads from the same system once we have commissioned it.”
Mr Ruwende said the project was facilitated through a smart partnership agreement between Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
“ZESA is pre-financing the project and City of Harare will pay fully for the project once it has been completed and given the nod.
“The project covers Airport Road, Seke Road, Julius Nyerere Way, the stretch between Samora Machel and Rekai Tangwena roads, Emmerson Mnangagwa Road, Seventh Street, Chancellor Avenue up to Churchill Road, Rekai Tangwena, Bishop Gaul and Ganges roads,” he said.
It is expected that the project will see the refurbishment of old street lighting equipment.
Harare Residents Trust Director Mr Precious Shumba gave the thumbs-up to the project, but implored council to invest in security to curb vandalism.
“Vandalism remains the major threat to street lighting in Harare. They should seriously invest in the security of the installed street lights. Street lights enhance people’s security at night. In most suburbs, residents have been mugged at night due to the dark streets that continue to hide criminal elements of our society, who daily target people.”
Mr Shumba further suggested that the council should employ municipal officers, while the Zimbabwe Republic Police can enhance night patrols to provide additional security.
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