Residents complain about the manner in which metro installs fibre
“I also believe contractors must be held liable for the damage they cause to the infrastructure, the environment and the property of community members.”
Residents from Wierda Park in Centurion complained about problems caused by the installation of fibre in the area by Tshwane metro.
According to resident Liza Vorster “various problems are being encountered with electricity and water supply due to damage caused to cables and pipes during these installations. Water and power cuts are common due to this”.
“Jobs are being left uncompleted and we are upset by the inconvenience it causes,” Vorster said.
“We reported these issues to various relevant officials to no avail. Residents are experiencing endless frustration because of this.
“And that on top of issues such as loadshedding and the years of neglect of repairs and maintenance.”
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She said the metro started work in their neighbourhood about a month ago and believe a lot of damage has since then been caused to the infrastructure.
“Residents also want to know what procedures the metro followed to scan the environment for water and electricity lines before contractors start digging up pavements and sidewalks. And also, what about obtaining residents’ permission or input in the affair,” Vorster said.
“City officials and ward councillors must be held accountable for their oversight over contractors. Residents believe they are simply not looking after the service infrastructure,” she said.
“I also believe contractors must be held liable for the damage they cause to the infrastructure, the environment and the property of community members. I believe they simply act reckless and this kind of conduct must be addressed. Surely the necessary skill and care must apply,” she said.
Vorster said many people have to work remotely from their homes and many residents already have their own fibre installed from other service providers.
Rekord reported in November last year that Tshwane metro approved “affordable high-speed optic fibre internet” for Tshwane homes as part of its “micro-trenching” policy.
According to Tshwane metro micro-trenching was non-intrusive, generally cheaper and less destructive to the metro’s infrastructure.
“Also, micro-trenching, also known as slot-cutting, is an innovative technique that can be used to deploy electronic communications network infrastructure. Typically fibre optic cables in residential streets were far better than traditional trenching.”
In November 2018, the Tshwane metro through Cellular and Related Infrastructure Management (CRIM) committee initiated way leave process, which was approved to implement electronic communications network infrastructure.
The metro said it believed that this policy will assist in creating a metro that facilitates economic growth and job creation, while also protecting the environment and the infrastructure from unnecessary destruction.
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The metro wanted to enable the deployment of modern technology in the metro to accelerate economic development.
According to Lindela Mashigo, spokesperson for Tshwane metro, “we can confirm that the contractor is on-site at Wierda Park installing fibre network as per WL 2021-0287 and WL2021-0288 extension 2”.
He said confirmed that complaints have been received from the residents, which prompted the metro to visit the site. However, Mashigo said, the grievances advanced did not have, or met, merits.
“It is the city’s responsibility to monitor the activities of the contractor on-site as well as check-out if the contractors carry out their work in accordance to the approved wayleave application.
“Inspections continue be conducted on numerous occasions and site visits too. To date, the contractor has been found to be in compliance with their wayleave application and the procedure of micro-trenching,” Mashigo said.
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