It costs the South African government an average of between R900,000 and R1.5 million to replace one broken or stolen traffic signal.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) recently brought to light this astronomical figure following a surge in vandalism and theft targeting traffic signals within the province.
“The department is faced with an enormous battle of maintaining and protecting the province’s road traffic signals from rampant theft and vandalism,” said the GDRT.
“This battle has jumped to over R30 million in the past year (2023) alone, with over 400 signalised traffic intersections having been vandalised.”
The department noted that high-profile intersections such as the crossing of Hendrik Potgieter and Christiaan De Wet roads are repeatedly vandalised shortly after repairs, which contributes to increased downtime for traffic signals, unfavourable user experience, more frequent road accidents, and substantial costs for government in rebuilding and replacing stolen equipment.
A less-than-ideal solution
Certain municipalities within the Gauteng province, including the City of Ekurhuleni, have started replacing damaged and stolen traffic signals with stop signs due to limited funds for maintenance and repairs.
In the financial year ending June 2022, the City of Ekurhuleni spent in the region of R120 million on fixing and replacing these important traffic control systems, however, it said that the high cost of doing so became unsustainable and that the damages mainly arose from avoidable human actions such as vehicle accidents, theft, and vandalism.
“Although the installation of the stop signs is a temporary measure, some intersections may have the stop signs permanently,” said the City.
“The permanent installation thereof will follow a process to di-warrant the traffic signal as per the South African Road Traffic Signs Manual which guides all decisions on traffic signals in the City.”
In a similar vein, the City of Johannesburg has spent more than R65 million over the past four years to fix faulty and stolen traffic lights, but said that it will need approximately R5.7 million of additional funding to address the current backlog of maintenance and replacements.
“We have a backlog now in terms of theft and vandalism of about 200 signal intersections, that’s 10% of our total population of traffic lights,” said the Johannesburg Road Agency’s Sipho Nhlapo, SABC reports.
The GDRT has reassured the public that it is actively participating in collaborative efforts with law enforcement agencies and that processes are underway to address this crisis.
In the meantime, citizens are urged to report crimes of this nature to authorities when they witness them.
Join the discussion