MTN targets Glenwood’s anti-cell mast activist
"The allegation was that I was a suspect in the vandalising of MTN cell masts, and they were looking for evidence."
GLENWOOD resident, Andre van Rooyen has been vocal in his opposition to the plethora of MTN cell towers that have been erected across the city over the past seven months. Now, he says, he is being harrassed after MTN lay a complaint and police raided his home last week.
In a media statement this week, Van Rooyen, who has five cell towers within a 500 metre radius of his home of which none have planning permission from residents, said his house was raided by the SAPS on the night of Wednesday, 14 June.
“The complainant was an anonymous person from MTN. The allegation was that I was suspected of vandalising the MTN cell masts, and they were looking for evidence. They removed my cellphone, computers, clothing, and various bottles of flammable liquids that I keep for home repairs. The loss of my work computer is a real blow, as on this computer I keep all the files and photographs I need to do my work as an insurance assessor,” he said.
Van Rooyen said he believed the real reason his house was raided was because he had been outspoken in the press and about the allegedly illegal cell masts that have been erected by MTN throughout Durban.
“I believe that these cell antennae – erected without the required planning permissions – have been severely affecting my and my family’s health. This raid was an intimidatory tactic. The police refused to disclose who had brought the complaint, but the warrant for the search clearly identifies the damaged masts as belonging to MTN,” said Van Rooyen.
What made the whole incident more curious, he said, was that up until the time of the raid, MTN and the city of eThekwini had denied the masts were cell masts.
READ RELATED: DA queries city’s ‘secret’ deal with MTN
“They have been calling them ‘camera poles’ in spite of all evidence to the contrary. The fact that MTN has brought a case with regard to damage of ‘their’ property makes it clear that in fact these towers are solely for the mounting of cellphone antennae, and have been illegally erected,” he said.
Van Rooyen said the Constitution gave all citizens of South Africa the right to a healthy environment and all city by-laws across the country required certain permissions before cell towers could be erected and activated. These permissions included a public participation process, and in the case of the hundreds of cell antennae that have been erected across Durban, this had not been done.
Berea Mail featured an article on Van Rooyen in February, claiming he had noticed specific health symptoms in himself and his family, as well as residents living around him near Rick Turner Road. After the article was published, Berea Mail received calls from other people who complained of the same symptoms although they lived in other areas where the masts were also evident.
READ RELATED: Glenwood residents feel effects of cell mast transmissions
“I believe – and I have strong evidence to support my claim – that the proliferation of cell antennae across Durban is a serious health risk. We are already exposed to electromagnetic radiation through our appliances, our radios, our wi-fi, our cellphones. Every new tower and antennae that goes up just increases the amount of radiation in our environment. There has to be a point where it becomes too much, and I think that point has been reached,” said Van Rooyen.
Responding to queries by Berea Mail, Graham de Vries, Corporate Services Executive from MTN said: “Access to connectivity is a lifeline for many people, and as such MTN continuously upgrades and maintains its network to ensure that our services are readily available and customers can communicate and use the data network seamlessly. In the last few months, more than five instances of arson and malicious damage to the MTN radio equipment have been recorded on the MTN network in the Glenwood area of Durban. MTN views the vandalism of telecommunications equipment very seriously, as this compromises network uptime and hampers our ability to provide essential connectivity to our customers.”
He said as a result, MTN had submitted a complaint to the South African Police Services for investigation.
“Unfortunately we cannot comment on the details of the investigation, as the matter is now in the hands of the SAPS,” said De Vries.
