I FARM between Paarl and Klipheuwel, and have spent 50% of the past year without communication, because thieves have stolen the Telkom phone line repeatedly. I have no cellphone reception at the farmhouse.
When the lines are stolen, people phone me and think I am not home, or do not want to answer the phone.
Recently a friend was in a car accident near my house, and phoned me for help, but could not reach me by cellphone or landline.
Similar thefts are hitting outlying farms all around Cape Town. It must cause havoc with businesses who are dependent on their phone lines for clients.
Recently I tried to phone a business in Phesantekraal and spent hours trying to find out from Telkom whether the number was still functioning or not - their enquiry lines were extremely unhelpful and could shed no light on the subject (I later found out the phone line of the business had also been stolen).
Telkom should have a system whereby an answering machine informs the public when there is a malfunction on a line - instead of allowing irreparable harm to be done to businesses who get the reputation that they do not answer their phones.
Farmer
