What’s all the shouting about?

A serious project is taking place and work is happening from morning onward — sometimes even into the early evening after sunset.

For some days already I’ve been wondering about all the shouting along our road.

There have also been unusual sounds of tools, people running everywhere, as well as leaves and branches being ripped off of trees.

Now I finally found out what it’s about: a serious project is taking place and work is happening from morning onward — sometimes even into early evening after sunset.

Cabling is going on.

A huge cable roll stands at the junction and cable fundi have been around and busy.

It started with pulling. Apparently a start is made close to the main road, from a main switch or device.

From there the cable must be pulled manually via poles all along the designated route. Obviously some coordination is needed along the way which explains the guy running up and down the street and shouting out his observations to colleagues, warning others for a big branch or a wall or telling a car not to drive over the cable on the ground.

I was informed that all the noise is about communication.

A while later another specialist arrives who gets up into the pole, using some basic climber straps and spurs as he attaches a type of clamp to hold the cables.

Not a fast and easy job, I can hear his tools and other metal parts for at least an hour as he secures the one device.

Still, the mystery to me is what is it all for?

Is it another provider who wants to upgrade from 3G?

These poles used to be for the TTCL telephone land line only but these days more cables seem to be added both overhead and underground.

Not so long ago there was digging for weeks along all roads in the area — then the cable rolls were coloured and we were told it was Vodacom laying out its WiFi network.

The more cables the better? Let’s see once the big rains start.

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About the Author

Josie van den Hoek
Josie first visited Dar es Salaam in 2000 and is still here. She writes about encounters on her daily walks and Tanzanian life.