BASSONIA residents on Mount Pellan Drive experienced connectivity problems in October after Telkom cables were repeatedly stolen by cable thieves.
A resident contacted the CHRONICLE out of frustration after she and her neighbours were again without connectivity after Telkom technicians had replaced the cables and restored the connectivity.
“These cables have been stolen twice in the same week, they were first stolen in the early hours of October 20 and again on October 25, Telkom sent technicians out to fix the problem but now the whole of Mount Pellan has no signal,” said the frustrated resident.
Telkom’s spokesperson, Pynee Chetty, said: “The direct impact of cable theft includes the disruption of essential services and costs of replacements or repairs of the affected infrastructure. In our efforts to counter the scourge of copper cable theft, Telkom has adopted various interventions, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Proactively alarming critical and sensitive cable routes and employing services of armed security firms.
• Deploying various wireless technologies that are alternatives to copper.
• Assessing vulnerable aerial cable routes and, where feasible, these are buried underground.
• Working closely with the Non-Ferrous Theft Combating Committee (NFTCC) under the auspices of Business against Crime and the South African Police Services (SAPS), to jointly find ways of protecting our cable network.”
The Bassonia resident also noted that the thieves may have gotten access to the pylon through the Glenvista Country Club’s golf course.
Manager of the Glenvista Country Club, Shaun Pohlmann, assured the CHRONICLE, that security on the premises were secure.
“We do have 24 hour on site security at the clubhouse. There are two other access points onto the property through the river, these areas are almost impossible to block off because of the natural flow of water. The houses boarder our property and each property is responsible for their own security,” clarified Pohlmann.
Residents can contact Telkom’s toll-free crime-report line on 080012400.
