Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve and cellular antennas

JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – One of the objectors to cellular phone antennas in urban settings (Southern COURIER, May 13, 2015) is quoted as saying: “They could have put it in the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve”. This dismissive attitude towards the reserve is extremely disappointing.

If this objector had his way, we would end up with antennas dotted all along the borders of the reserve and also inside the reserve. Whereas antennas in urban settings will be easily accessible by repair teams, those in the reserve would necessitate additional access points and foot and/or vehicular traffic into an already fragile eco-system.

The late Clem Kourie, in his capacity as chairman of the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve Association, fought a long and arduous – and, thankfully, ultimately successful- campaign against the erection of an SAPS communications tower in the reserve. Allowing cellular antennas in the reserve would be yet another step of incrementally destroying the reserve, the single natural asset of the long suffering south. It is hard to believe that there could still be those among us with such a couldn’t care less attitude.

On the other hand, it could simply be a case of ignorance, in which case the objector and others of the same mind-set are invited to attend association meetings or organised walks in the reserve, to experience at first-hand what responsible people are doing to preserve this jewel of the South.

René de Villiers