Concerns over Chelsea Drive tower resurfaces
"We are not opposed to increasing the communication coverage in the city, what we are opposed to is the health risks this additional coverage comes with," said one of the objecting residents.
DURBAN North residents have been left in limbo waiting for the outcome of their opposition to a proposed cell tower on Chelsea Drive. The city has delayed its final decision on the objection for three weeks. In February, several residents approached the Northglen News to voice their disapproval of the 25-metre MTN tower.
“Shepstone & Wylie attorneys, representing the Durban North community, said the City officials were inundated by the number of objections regarding the cell tower. This should speak volumes, and clearly shows that the community does not want this tower here,” said local resident, Monique Peterson, who has been actively involved in the objection campaign.
However, in a private meeting with concerned residents over the weekend, DA candidate councillor for ward 110, Pete Graham, confirmed that the City was committed to improving wireless telecommunications.
“The current technology that we are using is 4G LTE, but in order to ramp it up to 5G, new infrastructure is needed,” he said.
In response, Peterson said, “Where is the democracy? eThekwini seems to have made yet another decision without consulting the public and this decision will have a direct impact on us and on our homes. Our electricity is cut, our water is cut, litter and crime is out of control and services are despicable, yet we are billed monthly to pay rates for services we are not receiving.”
The primary objections of the residents revolve around health concerns. With several schools in close proximity to the proposed tower, the residents said it was not something they could accept.
“We are not opposed to increasing the communication coverage in the city, what we are opposed to is the health risks this additional coverage comes with, and where does it end, because it won’t stop at 5G or 6G. If fibre optics provide a safer solution then that is what we will be proposing rather than an impulsive, rushed recommended communications infrastructure,” she added.
MTN SA said they recognised the ‘commonly expressed concern’ regarding potential long-term health effects that could be caused by the radio frequency (RF) signals emitted by base stations and local wireless network antennas.
However, the corporation insisted that a large number of studies conducted in the last decade had failed to prove that RF signals emitted from telecommunication base stations or mobile phones had adverse health effects on the community.
Despite this statement, The World Health Organisation has said that the RF waves could possibly cause cancer
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