Observatory residents are seeking answers for a “strange noise” which they describe as that of a drone operating in the area, especially late at night.
On Tuesday 22 February, one resident took to Facebook claiming that a drone was “flying over our property” at about 03:00.
According to the resident, this was not the first time they heard the “strange noise”.
Several other residents commented on the Facebook post claiming that they have been woken up by the noise as well.
Resident Naomi Roux shared her experience with People’s Post. “I woke up at about 03:00 on Tuesday hearing a weird noise outside in the street. I didn’t get up to look. I remember thinking it sounds like it’s a drone, but that’s so weird, why would there be a drone in the street and then went back to sleep. I didn’t think about it until I saw the post on Facebook.”
Roux says they are not aware of any drone safety operations being performed by police or the City of Cape Town in the area.
“Not knowing what it is or where it emanates from is kind of creepy, I guess it’s someone privately flying drones around the area in the middle of the night. But it feels invasive regardless of who they belong to or where they are coming from.”
Lendl Petersen, who owns a restaurant/pub in Observatory, says on weekends he leaves his workplace at about 04:00. He claims he was followed home on two occasions.
“One Sunday morning, I left the place at 05:30, but I noticed this bright star in the sky, but you can see it’s not a star because of the light that was on it. I was in my Uber and as we were moving this star was following us. I told the driver to take a few turns to see and when we made a U-Turn this thing turned back and that’s when I realised it is actually a drone.”
Petersen says he felt uncomfortable.
“I don’t know what to feel. Why are they even following me home? I am not doing any illegal activities. I don’t understand, I do feel like my space and my private surroundings are being invaded because I don’t even know when this thing is watching me now or what it’s watching me for.”
Ruth Solomons, spokesperson for the City’s metro police department, denied that the alleged drones form part of safety measures by the City. Currently, she says, the only “aerial surveillance in use by the City is CCTV cameras”.
In December last year, Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said: “We will be putting out to tender our eye-in-the-sky aerial surveillance tender which will allow us to achieve a bird’s eye view of crime, traffic, metal theft, poaching and fires on a level we have never been able to do before and many times more effectively than drones would permit.”
But Solomons says this process is still ongoing and pending final approval by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa).
Marie Bray, Acting Communications Manager for SACAA, says: “A pre-application meeting was held with the City in September 2020, but no further response was received from them. However, the SACAA cannot confirm if the application was made by the law enforcement wing as there are different directorates.”
Yusuf Mohamed, Ward 57 councillor, says his office is not aware of the complaints. “Depending on the type of drone being used, anyone may walk into a store and purchase a drone as a hobby or as a toy for their kids. These are readily available. The bigger, more advanced devices can only be flown with the authorisation of the Sacaa. If anyone has seen any contravention of the Sacaa legislation or are currently being intimidated, I encourage them to visit the closest police station.”
Bray says the alleged drones were not authorised the SACAA. “Prior permission is required to operate a remotely piloted aircraft over built-up areas and according to SACAA records, no such authorisation was issued. It should also be noted that legitimate operators are required to hold a RPAS Operating Certificate. Therefore, these operations are, in all likelihood, illegal and unauthorised.”
Bray encouraged residents to report any illegal activity to the SACAA. “It is crucial to obtain adequate and pertinent information in order for the SACAA to launch an investigation accordingly.”
