Council ends Telecel's 15 years of illegal operation

The Bulawayo City Council has ended emerging telecommunications giant Telecel's 15 year illegal operations in the city.

The latest council report indicates that a majority the about 60 base stations that the mobile service provider has erected in the city are illegal structures.

Some of the base stations were erected in 1999 and Telecel had been enjoying the benefits of using them without paying any levies to council. It is stated in the report that some of the illegal base stations are erected on council land and tower lights whilst others were on private land
According to the report, council has not been able to repair a number of tower lights in the city as the gates to the tower lights were locked.

"Cables supplying power to the tower lights were now cast in concrete. Equipment had been put on tower lights, buildings and on Council land without council permission (Development Permits)," read the report.

"Telecel was not being billed for the illegal base stations. Telecel had no lease agreements with council for their base station. Base stations had been constructed by Telecel without approved building plans.

Council therefore had to backdate bills to the time when these base station were erected.
According to the report, Telecel has agreed with immediate effect to grant council unlimited access to the tower lights they occupy for repairs to be done.

The company was also asked to provide timeframe within which they would comply with council requirements.

Telecel indicated it would pay bills for using the illegal structures, since the time they were erected.

"They also agreed that regularisation of the illegal base stations would be done together with the processing of lease agreements, submitting building plans for approval. All this would have commenced by the end of June 2014," the report read.

It is shown in the report that Telecel would put a backup generators to keep the lights on even when there was load shedding, replace the bulbs, paint the tower to prevent rust and pay the ZESA bill for the tower lights that have their base stations.