Resident’s ficus tree troubles

LA LUCIA resident, Peter Jacobs said his cries are falling on deaf ears as he tries to arrange for the municipality to trim the branches of a ficus tree which grows just outside his fence and hangs over his pool dropping fruit into the water.

Jacobs said he reported the matter to the eThekwini Municipality in January this year and has yet to receive a response.

According to Jacobs, the tree did not pose any problems initially when he built his home.
“The tree has been there since before we built the property, it grew there naturally as part of the slope of the land, it has now grown into something exorbitant,” said Jacobs.

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“Because of the tree’s branches, it overhangs five metres into my property, right over my pool. I took out over a ton of berries and it also grows over into the neighbour’s yard,” he said.
Jacobs said that he has spent several thousand Rands trimming the tree branches and declogging the drain, but cannot cut the branches entirely or remove the tree himself as it is a criminal offence to cut down a municipal-owned tree.

“I just want the municipality to trim the branches, I don’t want them to cut the tree down, it is not necessary, they will have big problems if they cut the tree down because the whole bank will be exposed,” said Jacobs.

“On the municipal property side of the fence, the drain is getting blocked because of its roots, so, the result is, I have already got in a plumber to unblock the drain on two occasions in the municipality’s side. Our plumber has advised us that it is the municipality’s responsibility to clear the drain, but I can’t wait, it has to be done,” added Jacobs.

Municipal bylaws state that any tree or shrub planted in a public road or public place is the property of the municipality. Bylaws prohibit the community from planting a tree or shrub in a public road or public place, cutting down a tree or a shrub in a public road or public place.
Community members are also prohibited from climbing, breaking or damage a tree growing in a public place or marking any tree growing in a public place, subject to the municipality’s regulations pertaining to the display of advertising signs, attach any advertisements thereto.

According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s website, a Ficus craterostoma, commonly known as a wild fig tree, is not often seen in cultivation, but it is an easy-to-grow tree for frost free regions.

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“The figs are edible, but are small and insipid tasting, and probably only eaten when food is very scarce. They can also be made into jam.
“When eating wild figs, always break them open first to discover how many wasps or wasp larvae you will be eating too,” the Institute said on the website.

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