Residents in some Cape Town suburbs are blaming poor lighting as crime spikes.
There’s been a noticeable increase in crime in some Cape Town suburbs – including crime and gang hotspots – as streetlights remain out of order, some for several years, due to burnt or stolen cables.
Opportunistic criminals in Mitchells Plain, Hanover Park, Manenberg, Gugulethu and Nyanga have taken advantage of the situation, pouncing under cover of darkness.
“Whenever night comes, streetlights are off, and then the shootings start. It can be dead quiet in the streets, and then all of a sudden, you’ll hear a hail of bullets ringing out. It’s incredibly sad that this situation has still not been fixed,” Hanover Park community policing forum (CPF) spokesperson Kashiefa Mohammed told News24.
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