The community of Witsand, in Atlantis, in the Western Cape, and informal settlements infrastructure nonprofit People's Environmental Planning (PEP) have installed 300 solar-powered lights to improve safety in the community after dark.

The wall-mounted solar lights are operational and this first phase placed lighting along critical travel routes, crime hotspots and pathways identified through a collaborative mapping and planning process with the community.

The Witsand community first approached PEP in August 2024 after identifying lighting as the area's most urgent development priority.

Over the following two years, community leaders and representatives worked with PEP and informal settlements lighting nongovernmental organisation LightUp to map priority areas, identify suitable households for wall-mounted lights and secure household consent.

A team from the community was trained and participated in the installation, which helped to build local skills and ownership alongside the physical infrastructure.

Most parts of Witsand had no public lighting, despite some areas being electrified. Dark streets and narrow pathways affected residents travelling to and from work, reaching public transport and accessing shared toilets after dark.

During early engagements for the project, community members spoke about attacks taking place under the cover of darkness and described public lighting as essential to safety, dignity and everyday movement.

“For many years, the lack of public lighting meant Witsand residents returning from work struggled to move safely through the passages, while accessing communal toilets at night was particularly dangerous.

“These 300 solar lights are already making a meaningful difference. People can walk with greater confidence, the illuminated areas feel safer and the lights are helping community safety structures and police protect residents more effectively. This project has restored hope and dignity to our community,” says Witsand Community Board of Leaders member Babalo Mbulwana.

“The community did not receive a pre-designed solution. Residents helped identify where lighting was most urgently needed, and a local team was trained to install the lights. This process builds skills, ownership and a stronger basis for maintaining and extending the project over time,” says LightUp co-founder and PEP director Noah Schermbrucker.

Additionally, the installed lights will form part of LightUp's wider evidence base on public lighting in informal settlements.

Monitoring will help the project team understand how residents experience movement, access to services and public spaces after dark, while informing future implementation and policy discussions, he says.

The first phase was funded by human resources consulting and training firm Global Business Solutions (GBS) and lighting company LEDVANCE, which supplied the 300 solar lights.

“Corporate social investment has the greatest value when it responds to a priority identified by the community and leaves behind something practical and sustainable,” says GBS chairperson Jonathan Goldberg.

“These 300 lights are installed, operational and already creating greater visibility along routes that residents use every day. We hope companies operating in and around Atlantis and the Atlantis Special Economic Zone will support the next phase so that more of Witsand can benefit,” he says.

Witsand comprises about 12 000 household structures, and many routes and sections still require lighting.

The project partners are, therefore, calling on local businesses, funders and other organisations to support the installation of additional lights, ongoing maintenance, monitoring and the wider rollout of the programme.