Opinion | Polokwane is dark

By Lebogang Tiego Legodi If there is an ideal time to witness “the city of stars”, it is now.

The nickname of Polokwane was meant to honour artists and politicians from this province and the open-air stadium in 2010’s Soccer World Cup, today is a dark-sky sanctuary, a Mecca that erodes people safety and security in the so-called “place of safety”.

Suffice to say, the problem of streetlights not working in Polokwane is not a loadshedding issue, as houses remain lit at night.

It is rather a case of a municipality which has abandoned its constitutional duty and has, as such, normalised dysfunction.

In Polokwane, we have areas that have been without streetlights for over two years.

This is so even with the municipality aware of such dysfunctionality.

This then begs the question of whether the municipality is an accomplice to the ongoing crimes, killings and GBV in the city.

Not having lights on opens doors to more road accidents, business looting and easy targeting of elderly and female-led households, a reality for many homes in the province staggered by unemployment and urbanisation to other provinces for better job opportunities.

Just recently, we have witnessed the killing and disappearance of people, especially women and children across the country.

The question that perhaps women are now pondering as we move towards the 4 th of November 2026 is “Will I make it home alive after casting my vote?” This is important as, in the 2024 national and provincial elections, the queues in and around the city were long, having others casting their votes at midnight.

Now, think of this year’s elections in a dark town with streetlights burdened with party candidates’ faces and political party slogans instead of having the bulbs on.

Not overlooking the municipality’s recent upgrade to level six and its quest to bid to become a metropolitan, this is rather a plea for those in government to revisit and prioritise basic services in a sustainable manner for all its people.

Our concerns should extend to those who walk in the freezing dark each morning before sunrise and after sunset to earn a living: the security guards, cashiers, cleaners, petrol attendants, to name but a few.

The vendors who brave the cold in their respective stalls just to fend for themselves and their loved ones.