Radio tower moved to improve communication

AFRIFORUM'S Kathu branch intervened, at the request of the Gamagara emergency service in the town, to set up a radio tower at the station's control room.

This follows devastating fires that damaged the tower, which is essential for radio communication among emergency services in the area.

Fires in this area have also destroyed thousands of hectares of grassland and caused millions of rand in damage in the past few months.

The local fire brigade called on Afriforum for help when it became clear that radio communication had seriously weakened since the fires and the range of the radios had become extremely limited.

The communication tower originally stood at the entrance of the Kathu golf course. Johan Snyman, chairperson of the

Kathu branch, and Werner Strauss, Afriforum's co-ordinator for the Northern Cape, dismantled the tower with the help of experts from a machinery rental company, Eazi Access, and Rhino Security to move it to the Kathu fire station.

According to Strauss, moving the 18-metre-high tower was a huge task. The tower consists of three parts, each about six metres long. It is anchored in a solid cement plinth and, after erection, extends nearly 18 metres into the air.

"The new tower will significantly improve the reception of the radios and thus also the communication between the various role-players who use the network. In addition, it will also enable our members to connect directly with the Gamagara emergency services and report any medical emergencies, fires and accidents efficiently," Strauss said.