EDITOR – In response to the reply from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) on the tree cut down in Dunvegan.
The usual uninformed and could-not-care-less response was expected. More astoundingly is the claim by EMM spokesperson, Mr Themba Gumede, that the metro has a responsibility to save endangered trees and to remove those that are a threat to, or endanger, the community or property.
According to protocol, the councillor is usually contacted and informed about the cutting down and/or removal of old or large trees. Thereafter, community consultation takes place. Edenvale used to do that but as the place has collapsed one can expect no less. What the metro failed to tell the residents was that they do not have a stump borer so they cannot remove the stump and it now becomes the responsibility of the resident to do so.
You now have the tree, beautiful, very old, very strong, unkempt, that has been cut down. No attempt was made to relocate or apply possible measures to save it. The roots are still there, breaking the wall and causing a problem with the electrical meter.
There are many residents in the community who would have donated to have the tree relocated to a park in the area.
Nothing was achieved, the result is there for all to see. It displays such callousness in dealing with our children’s environment and heritage.
Visit Horwood’s Farm and other parks in Edenvale to see the so-called caring attitude of the metro. The same trees at Horwood’s, diseased and unkempt, will soon no longer be if it is left unattended.
One only has to take a tour around Edenvale to view the unkempt trees, hence many have not been pruned for the past 15 years. The dozens of complaints to the Edenvale Parks department daily over broken trees, overgrown trees, trees that have fallen down or are blocking drains.
Found on corner Park and Lily Avenue in Dunvegan is a tree where the branch is almost in the lounge of the resident’s house. I have been begging for months for them to address this problem.
Maybe Mr Gumede should get out of his office and visit Edenvale; this is not the first time he has done this, the press challenge to the mayor recently that resulted in a visit by reps from his and the COO’s office proves the point. Their findings, as expected, were not made public or announced to the community.
WARD 18 COUNCILLOR BILL RUNDLE.
EDITOR’S COMMENT – The NEWS requested comment from Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality by September 18. At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.
