Agri Northern Cape has been involved in the project since May 2010 and a forum was created to look after the interests of farmers who are affected by it. Since then meetings have been held on a quarterly basis where all interested parties were involved, namely organised agriculture, MTN, Vodacom, SKA and the Department of Science and Technology. Telkom has now also joined in the forum's activities.
The main objective of the forum is to address concerns which the project may pose for local farmers. Effective communication in rural areas is crucial for economic activities and this is in fact the single biggest problem addressed by the forum. Good co-operation is received from MTN and Vodacom to address the possible impact on cell phones as far as possible. In this regard SKA has already negotiated and concluded agreements with various farmers affected by the installation of alternative satellite communication where cell phone communication was suspended.
The creation of critical infrastructure such as roads, the installation of optimal fibre cables and the supply of electricity are essential for the upliftment of rural communities in the Northern Cape. To date the project has already contributed to new job opportunities in a town such as Carnarvon, and an economic upswing has already been observed in the rising property prices in the town. This project of course also offers economic prospects for adjacent towns and for South Africa's neighbours.
Adds Henk van Wyk, president of Agri Northern Cape: "Organised agriculture supports the South African government's bid to bring the SKA telescope to Africa and we are committed to protecting the interests of our members, in co-operation and by way of negotiations with the Department of Science and Technology, SKA and the cell phone service providers."
