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Stranger Things at Herotel: The Bizarre Tales from Our Infrastructure
In the world of telecoms, strange things are always bound to happen, but sometimes reality outshines fiction. At Herotel, we’ve experienced a few odd and unexpected occurrences that have truly made us wonder if we’re living in our own version of Stranger Things. Here are some of the most bizarre moments from our infrastructure journey:
- A Leopard in the Server Room
In one of our high-site locations, we had an unexpected guest, a leopard! Not only did it wander onto the site, but it also made its way into one of our server rooms that was still under construction. Fortunately, our cameras captured the entire moment, but needless to say, we weren’t expecting to see a big cat at work.
- The Airgun Pellet Incident
At another site, we encountered an odd situation, a pellet lodged into our fibre cable. This wasn’t just any old damage, we suspect it might have been a wayward airgun pellet, possibly aimed at a bird.
- Birds Nesting in a Manhole
In one of our more unusual discoveries, we found a manhole being used as a bird’s nest. While that might sound peaceful, the birds took a liking to our cables and chewed through them. This led to some unexpected internet downtime and proved that nature can sometimes be more disruptive than anticipated!
- Cape Storms and Tornado-Like Winds
Mother Nature has certainly tested our resilience. From Cape storms that toppled one of our towers to tornado-like winds in Ermelo, November really threw us some curveballs. Uitenhage also experienced severe floods, leading to fallen poles and other damage. It’s safe to say our infrastructure has had to endure some truly wild weather.
- Vandalism and Copper Misunderstanding
In Groot Marico, we experienced an odd form of vandalism. Thieves believed they could make a quick profit from stealing cables, thinking they were copper. What they didn’t realise is that fibre cables have no copper content. In the end, they didn’t just damage our equipment, they wasted their time.
- Fire Damage to Our Infrastructure
Unfortunately, fire has also taken its toll. At Shingalana Wildcamp, fires destroyed some of our infrastructure, reminding us of the unpredictable forces of nature. While this caused some outages, we remained committed to getting everything up and running as soon as possible.
- The Sawed-Off Pole
We found a pole had been sawed off, likely to be used for firewood. We don’t recommend dismantling our infrastructure for that purpose!
At Herotel, we continue to build and maintain reliable, high-speed internet connections. Sometimes the most unusual things happen that remind us how truly strange and unpredictable life can be. Yet, no matter the challenge, we’re always ready to keep things connected, no matter the obstacles we face!
