Telkom hangs up on Strandfontein residents.
By Monique Duval, Plainsman.
Wednesday, 29 October 2008.
Residents from On The Bay, a newly developed area in Strandfontein, are upset because Telkom has turned down their applications for telephone lines.
On The Bay, which consists of 242 houses, was developed by Multi Spectrum Property (MSP) Developments and completed in 2006.
Resident Alistair Holland said Telkom told him that his application was turned down because there was no infrastructure for telephone lines in the area.
Craig Gordon, said he also applied for a telephone line and was turned down for the same reason.
Mr. Gordon said he was not aware that the area did not have the underground cabling needed for the telephone lines.
“I did not ask whether my home would have a telephone line when I bought it because I thought it would.”
Mr. Gordon said he could not understand why there was no infrastructure in place when Bay View, which is less then 25 metres away from On The Bay has overhead lines that hang from poles.
Chris Paulsen has been a resident in the area for two years and owns two properties.
He said he also applied for telephone lines and after his application was turned down he went to the Telkom store in the Promenade Mall to look for answers.
He told the Plainsman that the customer service agent told him that his application was turned down due to lack of infrastructure in the area.
Mr. Paulsen also said the customer service agent told him that the number of applications for telephone lines “did not make it economically viable” for Telkom to install cables.
Telkom spokesperson Pynee Chetty said that because the houses have already been built, they do not have the jurisdiction to go into the area and install cables.
He said developers usually contact Telkom before they start building and Telkom then makes arrangements to install underground cabling for the telephone lines.
Kabous Fouche, project manager for MSP, said an agreement was made between Telkom and MSP for the relevant infrastructure to be put in place.
Mr. Fouche said Telkom did not want MSP to provide the sleeves and the other materials for underground cabling but asked them to provide the sleeves at the road crossings and Telkom would then provide the overhead lines.
He told the Plainsman that the sleeves have been put at the road crossings as suggested by Telkom officials.
Ward councillor, Irma Jackson, said she was aware of the problem and has received some complaints.
Mrs. Jackson said she has been in contact with the relevant people at Telkom.
After making several enquiries the Plainsman was referred to Tshego Matlou, adviser to the customer care manager, who said the lines for that area are “not viable”.
She also said that she could not give a reason, but that Mal Baloyi, national customer care manager at Telkom, will be looking into it.
