Residents oppose Glenwood cell towers

A TOWER erected at the intersection of ZK Matthews Road and Rick Turner Road has raised concerns for residents in the area.

Glenwood resident, Niki Moore said a number of residents are concerned about the quantity of cell mast towers in the area. Health risks caused by radiation are at the centre of their concerns.

“I am opposed to illegal cell mast towers,” said Moore.

“We have this 25m concrete mast which the city tells us belongs to eThekwini Municipality. They say these are camera poles – 35m in the air there’s a camera. The camera is going to be completely useless for security purposes because it can’t see anything,” she added.

“The camera will see the roofs of cars, it won’t be able to capture number plates because it’s too high,” continued Moore.

Moore also raised concerns about the power supply box near the tower.

Also read: Call for objections in cell mast case

“This box is interrupting site lines. This is already a dangerous intersection. You can see by the debris on the road how regularly we have collisions here. The very last thing you want is a big box and a big pole cutting off site lines, but that’s what we got,” continued Moore.

The position of the pole does not coincide with the site plans attached to the application for the tower, claimed Moore.

“We have told the municipality that the information they have given us is insufficient for them to approve the cell mast. It was supposed to be build (across the road) and it is supposed to be a camera pole,” she said.

MTN responds

MTN responded to the Berea Mail and said the camera pole is owned by eThekwini Municipality. Mthokozisi Ndlovu, Manager: Communications and Public Relations for MTN, said MTN is going through the process to secure the necessary approvals for the additional cellular equipment on the pole.

Also read: eThekwini Municipality introduces water levy

“The network equipment in question forms part of the crucial infrastructure which supports and drives world class connectivity to MTN customers in the region. While MTN remains steadfast in continually expanding its infrastructure to ensure people can enrich their lives and ensure economic and social activities are not hampered, we will only do so in a compliant manner. This equipment has helped MTN deliver the kind of network coverage and speeds our customers demand and this is an opportunity for those both for and against the masts to make their voices heard. It is also important to note that MTN follows and complies to all guidelines that have been set out by the World Health Organisation, the South African Department of Health and the International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). According to ICNIRP emissions from Radio Equipment is well below the maximum prescribed emission levels,” said Ndlovu.

eThekwinin Municiplaity responds

EThekwini Spokesperson, Mandla Nsele said:  “The infrastructure at the corner of Rick Turner and ZK Matthews is part of the Disaster Management Department’s roll-out of camera poles through the city, and part of the agreement with MTN, is utilising the infrastructure for cameras. This was approved as part of that process, by Special Consent.”

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