A group of Port Alfred residents has sounded the alarm after Ndlambe Municipality overrode their objections to having a cellphone tower erected in the heart of their beachfront neighbourhood. They are considering court action against a decision they believe will compromise their health and deface a prime tourism asset.
The nightmare began early last year when residents became aware of a proposal to erect a cellphone tower on a 1.5ha piece of vacant municipal land. The West Bank site, Erf 1865 according to the application, lies between Loerie Road and Muirfield Avenue. Confusingly, further documents from the applicant, Insite Towers represented by Urban Scope Consulting, refer to the site as Muller Drive which is about half a kilometre away.
The application is for permanent departure from the designated land use of the piece of municipal land in a residential area.
The siting of the proposed (and now approved) cellphone mast will, according to the application, promote spatial justice, as envisaged by SPLUMA. That’s the democratic-era spatial planning and land use management act that along with practical administrative management of town planning, also is intended to “provide for the inclusive, developmental, equitable and efficient spatial planning at the different spheres of government”. A quick search of last-sold prices for properties in Loerie Road throws up market-values between R1.4 million and over R5 million.
The application says the tower will mimic a street pole and will be no more than 15 metres high. The application states that the site is ideal “because facility sharing means that the need for other companies to erect masts in the area will be reduced”. Confusingly, it also states that a 15-metre mast can only accommodate a single user because a 25m mast is required to accommodate three service providers.
When the proposal emerged, West Bank resident Pierre Maree had no trouble getting close to 40 residents, along with tourism and business entities, to support a detailed objection to the application. The objection was lodged and acknowledged in May 2024.
The objection countered most of the motivations given for the new tower, which the applicant said was necessary to cater for increased reliance by residents on IT to conduct their business, along with an increased population and useage in the area.
Not so, said the objectors: “The applicant has provided no supporting [data] to demonstrate that the existing infrastructure cannot deliver the required bandwidth.” And “Contrary to what is stated in the application, the area population density is relatively low and not high as stated.”
Other alleged misreprentations and concerns related to health risks, contradictions in the capacity of the 15m mast, the visual and environmental impact of the tower and the inaccuracy of much of the information submitted in the application.
On the bizarre reference to spatial justice, Maree’s objection points out that “The mast is to be installed in an affluent area with low housing density. They should instead be installing it in an area that was previously underserved or excluded.”
Maree and other objectors were shocked to be told by the municipality in a letter dated July 8 2025 that their objections had been overruled and the application had been approved by the municipal planning tribunal.
Maree said many of the original objectors would be supporting an appeal he would be lodging on their behalf against the decision.
“Our first impression of the document citing the decision to go ahead with installation, is that is flawed – in particular point F stating that the mast would not be close to any habitable structures,” Maree told Talk of the Town.
“I have approached the property owners and quite a number of them wish to proceed with an appeal and if need be, to follow up with legal action. The objectors, in particular, those closest to ERF 1865 are very much in support of the Appeal and/or legal action.”
Talk of the Town has also seen a letter from the Port Alfred Ratepayers and Residents Association to the tribunal chairperson, Community Safety Director Nombulelo Booysen-Willy, voicing similar views.
“We have not as yet collected the funds required for the Appeal Fee of R8918.64. We have also not concluded how we will proceed with legal action if indeed we need to follow that path,” Maree said.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, July 24, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
