Hollard, in its capacity as a champion for road safety, is proud to announce its strategic partnership with the City of Tshwane to power up traffic lights at intersections during power outages.
Load-shedding can lead to significant disruptions in traffic light operations, potentially raising the risk of accidents at intersections. Hollard wants to help improve road safety.
To start off, Hollard has invested in powering the first three intersections around Route 21 Office Park, where the Hollard Tshwane office is based. Hollard will be covering the cost of the wiring and Route 21 Office Park will be providing the power.
“We’ve already received a list of other busy intersections that need power. The plan is first to power the three traffic light intersections around Route 21 Corporate Park and then roll it out to other areas. We’re committed to getting our hands dirty to help improve road safety,” says Johan Prinsloo, Hollard Insure Regional General Manager: Inland Region.
This partnership was created to help decrease the number of pedestrian and vehicle accidents, smash-and-grabs, and hijackings at intersections during load shedding.
Deanne Bezuidenhout, Head of ESG at Hollard Insure, adds: “This is not Hollard’s first time collaborating with the City of Tshwane. Over the past two years, we have partnered with them on a fire prevention programme for unemployed youth. We’re also in discussions with its sustainability department to find solutions to make Tshwane more resilient to the effects of climate change.”
This level of cooperation, Prinsloo says, is a testament to the power of public-private sector collaboration.
It’s more crucial than ever for businesses, the government, NGOs and educational institutions to join forces to resolve the various challenges our country faces – each of these groups brings valuable skills and knowledge to the table.
Cilliers Brink, the Executive Mayor of Tshwane echoed these sentiments, saying: “We’re excited to work with Hollard to power up traffic lights at major intersections. The City of Tshwane believes in the whole-of-society approach, working together with private businesses, communities and various groups who want to help make our capital city work. This initiative is brilliant, it has a real impact, as it will power up traffic lights, especially during load shedding and ease up traffic congestion. We are looking forward to more collaborations with Hollard.”
Bezuidenhout added: “This collaboration serves as an example of what can be achieved when different sectors combine their efforts, resources, and expertise. By working together, the public and private sectors are not only addressing immediate challenges but are also laying the groundwork for better futures.”
The traffic-light project speaks to Hollard’s shared-value ethos, which, Bezuidenhout adds, is its driving force.
“We are not only content with feeling good or looking good, and we’re not here to pat ourselves on the back: we are here to do good and to make a meaningful and deliberate impact on society and the environment. Every move, every product, every choice – it’s all run through the shared-value filter, ensuring that we contribute positively to business profitability, our communities and our environment ” she says.
For Prinsloo, the initiative would not have been achieved without the City of Tshwane, which has been open to collaborating with Hollard.
Hollard looks forward to expanding this initiative by partnering with more public and private sector players.
“We urge private-sector players to answer the call and join us in helping to create and secure better futures for our communities. Safer roads don’t just benefit Hollard customers; they benefit all of us,” says Prinsloo.
Watch the City of Tshwane Executive Mayor, Cilliers Brink, talk about our initiative to power up traffic lights at intersections during power outages and load shedding. We’re proud of this partnership – it reduces pedestrian and vehicle accidents and enables more people to create and secure a better future: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7158762322381942784
