City committed to finding solutions for libraries affected by copper theft
15 February 2016
Over recent months, the Manenberg, Hanover Park and Tafelsig communities
have been the targets of repeated copper cable theft which has resulted in all
telephone lines going down.
‘As a result of the number of times that Telkom has had to replace these
copper cables over the past months, the speed at which they are able to replace
the lines is diminishing. This in turn impacts the City’s ability to run our
digital inclusion projects in these areas which currently run off of the
existing telephone lines,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for
Corporate Services and Compliance, Councillor Xanthea Limberg.
'As such, the City of Cape Town’s libraries within these areas have had to
shut down their SmartCape facilities, which provide free internet access of up
to 50 MB of data per day to residents, as we wait on Telkom to replace the
stolen lines.
‘For this reason, the City of Cape Town’s Telecommunications Department is
in the process of conducting a range of cost assessments for deploying
alternative internet access systems. These alternative systems include the
possibility of deploying satellite telecommunications infrastructure to deliver
internet access to these areas, while at the same time minimising the risk of
cable theft.
‘The City views this as a serious matter which requires urgent attention.
We are deploying as many resources as we are able in order to find a long-term
solution to restore capability to the SmartCape system,’ said Councillor
Limberg.
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