50-year-old trees butchered

ETHEKWINI Municipality’s call to have a few Natal Mahogany trees butchered to accommodate the installation of a CCTV camera at the intersection of Old Main Road and Crompton Street in Pinetown, was frowned upon by conservation groups.

According to Jean Lindsay of the New Germany Conservancy, the trees were completely disfigured with branches cut off on one side only.

“While I can understand the need to have the CCTV camera installed at this major crime spot, I believe the Parks Department could have left the crown of the trees and cut the branches that were hindering the camera’s view,” said Lindsay.

A concerned resident, Dave Campbell, said the act was a ridiculous disregard to logical balance and safety.

“Those trees are now so over-balanced on one side they are likely to fall over in the short (or near) future, causing costly damage to fencing, structures, even injuring people close by, or worse,” said Campbell.

He explained that the butchering was a total disregard to any form of preservation of natural beauty. The disfigurement of those trees has ruined any slight amount of shaded natural beauty in the centre of Pinetown.

“In my opinion, the person/s responsible for the desecration of those 50-year-old Natal Mahogany trees at the main intersection of Pinetown should not be permitted to make another decision of this destructive nature ever again. That person or committee should be placed in a less responsible line of employment where they are not required to make similar decisions,” added Campbell.

The Parks Department had not responded to questions emailed to them at the time of going to press.