Regional electricity distributor Erongo RED has joined forces with the Road Fund Administration (RFA) and the Roads Authority (RA) to install 24 streetlights along the Swakopmund River bridge.
The lights will be installed for N$4.4 million.
The bridge has suffered vandalism over the years, blamed on a lack of visibility, which also affects drivers and raises the risk of road accidents.
The Swakopmund Bridge used to have copper railings, but these were all stolen.
According to Roads Authority CEO Dr. Conrad Lutombi, theft has resulted in millions of dollars in losses, adding that the stolen railings were specialised and constructed before independence.
"These assets belong to us as a country, as a nation, and when people steal the guardrails, they need to be replaced, and we have to put in some unnecessary investments, so I hope we have taken a proactive approach to engage the police and really go after those who have vandalised, especially the Swakopmund Walvis Bay bridge; it's quite an important bridge, and we cannot allow that."
Immanuel !Hanabeb, Erongo RED CEO, added, "The challenge that is faced when it comes to road infrastructure damages is also the same challenge that we face when it comes to electrical infrastructure that is being damaged and also stolen because of the copper wire. The resources that our institutions do use to rehabilitate, maintain, and repair the infrastructure come from the pocket, where the funds could have been utilised to do expansion of our network."
The RA, the RFA, and Erongo RED have all agreed to fund the installation of street lights along the bridge.
The project, the Erongo Red CEO said, should be completed by December.
Together with recently installed CCTV cameras, improved visibility from these lights is expected to deter people from vandalising the bridge and help to reduce road accidents.
"I'm happy to see that we are now bringing pen to paper to make sure that the agreement is signed, but certainly agreements by themselves are just agreements unless they are implemented, so I just want to urge Mr !Hanabeb to make sure that, as of tomorrow, in fact, as of today, you put in the necessary technical support and expertise to make sure that those lights are installed ASAP," said RFA CEO Ali Ipinge.
Erongo governor Neville Andre commended the tripartite agreement.
"This initiative serves as a powerful reminder of the strength that lies in partnership and collaboration. The fact that three critical institutions LINK have come together to co-finance this project demonstrates a shared commitment to improving the lives of our people."
The project will be extended to provide streetlights at the Swakopmund-Henties Bay-Walvis Bay Interchange to reduce the risk of accidents and crime.