On Friday, 28 Nov 2014 about 120 people joined in protest against the erection of a cellphone tower immediately adjacent to homes with young children. Protestors lined both sides of Spaanschemat Ave from Strawberry Lane to Aloe Rd holding yellow and blue banners reading “NO TO MTN MAST” while the majority congregated outside the residence of the Schofield family who also own the land in Dalham Rd where the “tree” tower was erected on 12 November 2014. Over 90 people then proceeded to march 1.5km down Spaanschemat Rd, along Strawberry Lane and up Dalham Rd to the cellphone tower.
In further conversations with Mrs Angela Schofield and her son Trevor the day before the protest, they said that they wouldn’t be available during the protest to accept a petition from the community but that it could be left in their letterbox which it was. The letter from neighbours appealed once again to the Schofield family to enter into discussion with them, especially given their financial gain. An extract of the letter reads:
“A community and a democracy cannot exist when individuals act purely on self-interest to the detriment of people around them. This incident has, as you are now probably aware, once again mobilised the community, who remain in strong opposition to the erection of this, or any other cellphone base stations in their neighbourhood…. Unless we are able to find an amicable solution to this matter we will be left with no choice but to escalate the protest process and take this matter further into the public domain. We therefore, as your neighbours, impore you to reconsider your decision regarding the cellmast on your property and extend once again an open invitation to you to meet with us to discuss this matter further.”
The primary reason for the protest was that the democratic rights of the community have been undermined and that immediate neighbours had no fore-warning of the installation or say in the matter. Although Council claims that process was followed and 10 neighbours were notified, a number of these notifications were sent to the Schofield’s tenants and others to a non-existent address. The neighbours who did receive notification vigorously objected (with one family even taking the matter to the High Court) and an objection was submitted by the Constantia Property Owners Association (CPOA) as well.
A large map demonstrated overwhelming support from the neighbourhood based on petitions gathered in the last fortnight (during one of the busiest times of the year). It supported polls from previous years during this community’s 17yr history of opposition to masts, which resulted in 2 masts being removed in the 1990s and 2011.
Other individual reasons for objecting to the mast varied amongst the protestors from concern for children, neighbours, environment and health to property values & long term economic consequences of investing in old technology rather than new…. But all were united with one voice as they called on MTN to “Take it down” and “Speak to us”.
WHAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE BY PROTESTING
We call on MTN to meet us (as Vodacom did in 2011 following a similar peaceful protest) and to suspend construction until they’ve done so. At the conclusion of the meeting with Vodacom on 9 Nov 2011, the EMRSA Action Group was thanked by Vodacom for their hospitality, professionalism, thorough preparation and calm, non-emotive delivery. Vodacom also emphasised that they took the strength of the community’s objection seriously which is why, to their credit, they suspended further construction pending negotiation.
One of the recent correspondences to MTN concluded, “We do not like confrontation and would prefer to discuss the situation and seek a solution.” This remains our position, but failing that protest will continue.
We also hope that as a result of our protest process
- there will be a hard look at policy and procedures governing the installation of masts throughout CT – especially in residential areas and near schools
- there will be increased awareness regarding the benefits of Fibre to the Home (FTTH) which will provide a high bandwidth alternative to wireless broadband, thus reducing wireless traffic and the demand for more masts in increasingly unsuitable locations [more here].
- more funding will be channelled into rollouts of FTH technology instead of into a plethora of dead-end technology masts throughout the City.