Cable thieves force navy reaction squad to deploy in Cape mountains

Members of the navy’s maritime reaction squadron have been deployed to the mountains above Muizenberg to guard critical radio communication antennae under threat from cable thieves.

So far, the military has spent R10.5m replacing an ageing fence around the navy’s antenna farm overlooking Silvermine maritime communication facility in Cape Town.

The fence is needed to prevent further theft and vandalism, which has so far resulted in equipment loss of more than R850,000.

Details of the repair work have emerged in parliamentary replies to questions about the naval facility.

Defence minister Thandi Modise said there were no plans to decommission the Silvermine facility despite the infrastructure issues.   

She said the facility played a vital role at various levels of national security, including maritime and air traffic communications.

“In the event of total communications equipment failure at the naval communications centre, all communications services will be handled by the alternative secondary broadcast station which is in Durban.”

The total cost of the new fence around the antenna farm would be R13m, Modise said.   

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