Destruction of 5G towers is criminal, warns KZN premier

KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala has warned that the destruction of 5G towers will be treated as an act of criminality.

Zikalala addressed the media at eThekwini Primary School in KwaMashu on Friday as he conducted inspections of telecommunication infrastructure damaged in some areas of Durban recently.

“We should all be united against Covid-19, and such things detract us from the main focus now — which is to deal with Covid-19.

“If you vandalise such networks, you are affecting the communication and therefore services of the community are undermined.”

The vandalism of towers belonging to major network companies has come in the wake of viral social media posts which have eluded to a link between 5G and the spread of the coronavirus.

Zikalala added that community leaders who misinform the public regarding the 5G networks and Covid-19 should also face the law.

“It would be irresponsible of any leader to peddle misinformation. It is uncalled for any leader to mislead the people.

“That's why we're saying, the police will need to take action even against those people who are peddling such lies.”

The site visits were followed by a webinar where the premier and various experts were expected to engage with key stakeholders and members of the public on issues around 5G technology and information and communications technology (ICT) in general.

TimesLIVE