Cape Town Residents Baffled by Mysterious Hum Keeping Them Awake at Night
- Residents in Table View, Parklands and Blouberg have been reporting a strange humming noise heard mostly at night
- Ward 113 councillor Sue van der Linde received 148 reports after setting up a dedicated WhatsApp line for residents
- Several possible sources have been investigated and ruled out, but the origin of the hum remains a mystery
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Source: Getty Images
WESTERN CAPE - Residents across Cape Town's northern suburbs are losing sleep over a puzzling sound they cannot explain. A low, mysterious hum has been reported at night in areas including Table View, Parklands and Blouberg, and the problem appears to be spreading.
According to EWN, Ward 113 councillor Sue van der Linde set up a dedicated WhatsApp line to collect reports and recordings from affected residents. She told CapeTalk that the response had been overwhelming, with 148 submissions received since the line was created.
What makes the investigation particularly unusual is that Van der Linde has never actually heard the sound herself. She has only listened to recordings sent in by residents, and says the hum appears to shift depending on where people are standing when they listen.
Several sources ruled out
Officials have already worked through a list of likely suspects without success. The Astron Refinery was checked and cleared. Pump stations in the area were also looked at after some residents suggested over-pumping could be responsible, but the timing of the reports did not match nights when over-pumping occurred. The Potsdam water treatment plant was investigated as well, and it too was ruled out.
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One popular theory, that the sound was coming from a public-address system at Koeberg, has also been dismissed.
The investigation has grown more complicated as reports have emerged from suburbs further away, including Edgemead and Milnerton.
"It seems to obviously carry on the wind," Van der Linde said.
Residents have no shortage of theories
With no confirmed explanation, residents have been busy coming up with their own ideas. Cooling fans at data centres, electrical transformers and ships in the area are among the suggestions being considered. Some believe wind is carrying the sound across the suburbs from a source located further away. Van der Linde said she is engaging with the City of Cape Town on several of these possibilities and plans to look into a theory involving loudspeakers connected to Eskom drills.
To help narrow things down, residents submitting recordings through the WhatsApp line are being asked to include their exact addresses. Van der Linde said the location data could eventually be used to triangulate the source of the hum.
Despite the growing list of dead ends, the councillor is not giving up.
"We are going to find it," she said.
Woman hears strange sounds coming from inside her home
Previously, Briefly News reported that a woman shared the reality of buying a pre-owned home after hearing strange sounds coming from the ceiling. While she had a feeling what it was, people online gave their take and provided advice to solve the problem. New homeowner, Lesedi Murna Selepe shared that after a week of moving into the house, she heard scary sounds coming from the ceiling. In a video she uploaded to her account, Murna showed herself knocking on the cornice in the kitchen, which was met with sounds in return.
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Source: Briefly News
