Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams condemns destruction of cellphone network towers
7 January 2021
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has condemned the burning and destruction of cellphone network tower infrastructure and urged the South African Police to arrest those responsible for this anarchy. The burning of the cellphone towers follows a resurgence in conspiracy theories which link the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic to 5G.
So far three telecommunications network infrastructure towers belonging to Vodacom and MTN were burnt and destroyed between Tuesday and Wednesday this week in KwaZulu-Natal.
Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams has described the misinformation campaign as a threat to investments made telecoms network infrastructure. “It is regrettable that the much- needed network infrastructure is being destroyed. The country currently needs resilient and high-speed connectivity for every citizen to enable them to participate meaningfully in the digital economy. Furthermore, mobile telephony is crucial in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
“The destruction of network towers compromises multi-pronged efforts and initiatives to stem the spread of the virus. We, therefore, urge the police to arrest anyone who is threatening of removing infrastructure network stations or towers,” added Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams.