Media history – Constantia cellmasts

Unbelievably, after 18 years of vigorous and overwhelming community objection, protest, press, legal action and High Court victory, the MTN cellphone tower is still operational as MTN continue to drag out the process through attempted appeal. Here’s some of the history!

Following a High Court ruling that the latest mast erected by MTN in November 2015 was not legally approved, media publicity was suspended in the hope that MTN would turn off the mast and remove it. This however has not happened and so until it does active media publicity over this mast will continue.

Here is a collection of just some of the media publicity around the erection of cellphone towers in the Strawberry Lane area in Constantia, Cape Town in recent years. There was much more though in print and on radio (including Radio Sonder Grense, KFM, Cape Talk and the Sunday Times). It also excludes thousands of private correspondences to authorities (including objections to the City’s mast policy) as well as online activity.

1999: ILLEGAL VOCACOM MAST REMOVED AFTER 2 YEARS OF STRONG COMMUNITY OPPOSITION

2007: MAST APPLICATON OPPOSED WITH THOUSANDS OF PETITIONS & CORRESPONDENCES. EMRSA WEBSITE LAUNCHED

28 JUL 2011: VODACOM MAST INSTALLATION BEGINS AT THE BIBLE COLLEGE, ESKOL LANE (STRAWBERRY LANE AREA)

12 AUG 2011: CELLMAST PROTEST WITH 250 PEOPLE IN SPAANSCHEMAT RD

110813 – News 24 Article – Vodacom : no proof towers are harmful

110815 – Cape Argus – City in bid to revise cell mast policy

110817 – TygerBurger Article front page – Cell mast doubts

110817 – TygerBurger Article p2 – Selfoonmaste kry teenkanting

110818 – Constantiaberg Bulletin Article front page – Cellmast not welcome

110818 – Constantiaberg Bulletin letter – Protest highlights problems

110821 – Weekend Argus letters

110930 – Cape Times letter – Please tread carefully on cell mast radiation exposure

11 Nov 2012 : Fine Music radio interview following meeting with Vodacom

NOV 2011: VODACOM MAST REMOVED & MEDIA ACTIVITY SUSPENDED

12 NOV 2014: MTN MAST ERECTED IN DALHAM RD (STRAWBERRY LANE AREA)

28 NOV 2014: CELLMAST PROTEST IN SPAANSCHEMAT RD, FOLLOWED BY MARCH TO DALHAM RD

141125 – EMRSA Press Release

141129 – Weekend Argus p4 & IOL – Constantia residents oppose cellphone mast

141204 – CB Article front page – Protest against cellmast

141204 – Constantiaberg Bulletin letter – Cellmasts

141211 – Constantiaberg Bulletin letter – Cellmast

141211 – Constantiaberg Bulletin letter – Cellmast2

150219 – Constantiaberg Bulletin front page – Bold plan for valley (EMRSA approached by press for comment)

150226 – Constantiaberg Bulletin letter – Yes (to Fibre) and No (to DAS)

JUN 2015: HIGH COURT RULES MTN MAST ILLEGAL

150613 – Weekend Argus – Constantia property owners win fight over MTN tower (EMRSA approached by press for comment)

150618 – Constantiaberg Bulletin – Residents celebrate cellmast victory

150624 – CB Article front page – Thumbs up for fibre optics (EMRSA approached by press for comment)

29 Jun 2015 – Cape Talk interview with John Maytham following High Court ruling (EMRSA approached for comment)

150626 – My Broadband – The fight against better cellphone reception in Cape Town (with online discussion comments)

150813 – Constantiaberg Bulletin Article p5 – Church objects to cellphone tower (EMRSA approached by press for comment)

150820 – Constantiaberg Bulletin letter – Take a stand (references Constantia opposition)

151104 – Plainsman letter (Concerns over tower)

160623 – Constantiaberg Bulletin Article p5 – Community battle against cell masts

Media history – Constantia cellmasts

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EMRSA

7 years ago

Yet another illegally erected Cape Town mast has been ruled against - this time by the Supreme of Appeal who significantly ruled in a landmark case that the placement of masts must be done in accordance with the City’s Municipal Planning by-law, giving local auorities more say than national government in this regard. Hopefully this will set precedence for other illegal installations too.

This particular mast, erected in 2016 by Telkom in Heathfield, has had a long-standing legal battle (at tax payers expense and at huge personal cost!)

After much pressure was applied on the CoCT to have the illegal installation removed, the COCT ordered Telkom to dismantle it. Telkom then took the matter to the High Court saying that local government had no jurisdiction over them as they are owned by national government. The city won. Telkom appealed, and the city won again. At this stage the City’s legal department undertook to have the tower disconnected as Telkom’s next move was the Supreme Court.

This week the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed Telkom’s appeal against a Western Cape High Court judgment that it is obliged when erecting a cellphone mast – whether free-standing or rooftop-based – to do so in accordance with the City’s Municipal Planning by-law.

Huge credit to the Heathfield residents who created such a strong voice opposition, aided in the early years by the late Muna Lakhani. And to Olga Sheean who featured this mast installation in her letter to Cape Town officials entitled "Challenging the towers that be". And most especially to Dee Rowland for her relentless efforts - for staying the course in her ongoing deadlings with Council and for refusing to back down. Well done all!

Hopefully this ruling will set precedent for more illegal masts to fall in SA and for more efforts to be applied by industry to rather invest in safer and more sustainable solutions like fibre without the 5G / "smart" living extension!

References:

www.emfsa.co.za/news/telkom-loses-court-appeal-over-location-of-cellphone-masts-in-western-cape/

emfoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Challenging-the-Towers-that-be.pdf

Search on the word "Heathfield" to find more on our website www.emrsa.co.za ... See MoreSee Less

Telkom loses court appeal over location of cellphone masts in Western Cape

www.emfsa.co.za

27 SEPTEMBER 2019, 07:48AM / LISA ISAACS Photo: African News Agency (ANA) Cape Town – The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed communications service provider Telkom’s appeal against a West...

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EMRSA

7 years ago

Joel Moskowitz from the School of Public Health at the University of California has compiled an updated list of newly-published scientific papers on wireless radiation and electromagnetic fields (EMF). Thank you Joel! ... See MoreSee Less

Recent Research on Wireless Radiation and Electromagnetic Fields

bit.ly

A compilation of more than 750 abstracts of studies on wireless radiation and electromagnetic fields published since August, 2016. Updated once or twice a month.

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EMRSA

7 years ago

With the spotlight currently on crime in South Africa, much has been said about the importance of carrying cellphones on one's person at all times but not enough has been said about the risks - cellphones are still the primary motivation for muggings!

According to Stats SA's "Victims of Crime Survey" for the 2018 period, cellphones are the most likely thing to be stolen off your person, with nearly half a million incidents reported last year. And they're also one of the most likely items to be stolen during a housebreaking (accounting for nearly a quarter of total goods stolen.) So stay vigilant, contribute to building stronger community and don't be over-reliant on that tech for your safety!

businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/276839/here-are-the-things-criminals-are-trying-to-steal-from-you/ ... See MoreSee Less

Here are the things criminals are trying to steal from you

businesstech.co.za

Stats South Africa has published its latest Victims of Crime Survey, showing which crimes are most prominent in South Africa, and how individuals have been affected by them.

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EMRSA

7 years ago

With Telkom's announcement that it plans to shut down its copper network and no longer support that infrastructure, what are the alternative options for homes and businesses dependent on landlines and ADSL?

According to MyBroadband, "Moving from ADSL to fibre is a no-brainer in areas where the technology is available, as fibre is both cheaper and faster than copper-based broadband."

According to Web Africa, fibre optic solutions are now cheaper than ADSL so it definitely makes sense to migrate landlines and computers to run off that network.

But what about those areas which don't yet have fibre, typically the less affluent or outlying areas, including all townships? " It is in areas where Telkom ADSL customers do not have fibre coverage that the company will encounter difficulties moving customers away from copper."

Those without the option to migrate to fibre will be encouraged to adopt LTE (4G wireless communication), increasing the risk of health and environmental harm in these areas. This should be opposed.

After years of waiting for affordable fibre to be rolled out to townships in SA, Telkom recently rolled out fibre to Soweto. "According to Telkom Group Chief Executive, Mr. Sipho Maseko, Telkom has invested in fibre to the home in SOWETO because Telkom believes that access to broadband has become a necessity for human and economic development. Addressing students of Orlando West High School, Maseko said the availability of the fibre will help Sowetans bridge the digital divide by bringing the world to people’s doorstep."

We agree completely but believe that this is not nearly enough - all available funds should be directed to offering fibre nationwide before throwing money at 5G which is a less sustainable long term solution for this country. And it would ultimately make more financial sense getting the right solution in place from the outset!

Sources:

mybroadband.co.za/news/broadband/316431-what-to-expect-when-telkom-turns-off-your-adsl.html

africabusinesscommunities.com/tech/tech-news/soweto-becomes-first-south-african-township-to-get-f...

www.emrsa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ReInventing-Wires-1-25-18.pdf ... See MoreSee Less

What to expect when Telkom turns off your ADSL

mybroadband.co.za

Telkom recently outlined its plans to shut down its copper network, as first announced by its CEO, Sipho Maseko, in May 2019.

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EMRSA

7 years ago

On Day 4 of the 5G Summit, Kevin Mottus (CA Senate candidate and outreach director for the CA Brain Tumour Association) explains the captured regulatory system in the US, starting with the FCC (the Federal Communications Commission). A Harvard Ethics report entitled "Captured Agency: How The FCC Is Dominated By The Industries It Presumably Regulates" details the ways in which the telecom industry uses the same playbook as tobacco when it comes to lobbying and strategies to influence public perception.

When pressed for answers, the FCC say that they take advisement from the FDA, but in reality it is the FCC that has primary responsibility for these exposure. And according to the FCC's website "there is no federally mandated radiofrequency exposure standard". So it's important to understand that the FDA's role is purely an advisory one which is also heavily influenced by the wireless industry.
[Aside: In South Africa we have a similar situation where our Department of Environmental Affairs say they take direction from the Department of Health who have said in Parliament that they have no funding or skills for research here and defer to the Directorate for Radiation Control (DRC). The DRC's Leon du Toit - who has reported to industry/ICNIRP's WHO EMF Project for over 15 years - has repeatedly warned South African councils that “local and other authorities... should not attempt, from a public health point of view, to set any restrictions with respect to parameters such as height of the mast, distance to the mast & duration of exposure.” This is yet another clear example of the fox tending the hen house...]
To learn more about why your government isn't protecting you and what you can do to protect yourself better, there are still 6 hours to catch Kevin's talk or that of the 5 other speakers from Day 4

Or you could purchase the full 5G Summit package with all the interviews on a flash drive. Better to inform yourself offline if you don't yet have cabled computer access...

the5gsummit.com/sgwzgh/ ... See MoreSee Less

Day 4 - 5G Crisis: Awareness & Accountability Summit

the5gsummit.com

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