Residents across Cape Town’s northern suburbs are being kept awake by a mysterious humming sound that authorities and community representatives have so far been unable to trace.
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According to EWN, the low-frequency noise has been reported mainly in Table View, Parklands and Blouberg, with complaints now coming from areas as far away as Milnerton and Edgemead. The sound has reportedly been particularly noticeable at night, when background noise is reduced.
148 reports received
Ward 113 councillor Sue van der Linde has set up a dedicated WhatsApp line for residents to submit reports and recordings of the mysterious noise.
According to Sue, the response has been significant, with 148 reports received so far.
The information being collected could help investigators establish exactly where the sound is being heard and potentially identify its source.
Residents submitting recordings have been asked to provide their exact location, allowing the reports to be compared and potentially used to triangulate where the hum is coming from, the publication reported.
Several possible sources ruled out
Finding the source has proved difficult, with several theories already investigated.
The Astron refinery has been checked and ruled out as the source. Pump stations were also investigated after residents suggested that over-pumping could be responsible.
However, Sue said the reports did not correspond with nights when over-pumping was taking place.
The publication reported that the Potsdam water treatment plant has also been investigated, while a theory that the noise could be coming from a public-address system at Koeberg has been dismissed.
The mystery has become even more complicated as reports have spread beyond the suburbs where the noise was initially reported.
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Residents have theories about the hum
With no confirmed source, residents have suggested several possibilities.
Among the theories being considered are cooling systems at data centres, electrical transformers, and ships. The possibility that wind could be carrying the sound across different parts of Cape Town is also being investigated.
Sue said she is engaging with the City of Cape Town about some of the possibilities and plans to investigate further suggestions from residents.
Even the councillor hasn’t heard it
One of the stranger aspects of the investigation is that Sue has not personally heard the mysterious hum.
She has listened to recordings submitted by residents but said the sound appears difficult to track, with its perceived location seemingly changing depending on where people are.
The earlier investigation by Cape Town officials also received numerous complaints from residents in Table View and Parklands, who described the noise as a constant droning or vacuum-like sound. Residents were encouraged to log noise disturbances with the City, including the time, date and description of the sound.
For now, residents are left with recordings, theories and plenty of unanswered questions.
As more reports are collected, the hope is that the information will eventually allow investigators to pinpoint the source of the mysterious hum.
For affected residents, however, the priority is simple: finding whatever is making the noise so they can finally get some peace — and sleep — at night.
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