AN Umgeni Park resident says he fears someone will soon be seriously injured as old, dead trees continue to collapse along his street despite years of complaints to the eThekwini Municipality.

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Homeowner Dewrika Gyanchand George Singh says the most recent incident happened last Friday night after heavy winds swept through the area. A large dead tree came crashing down at night.

“I was cleaning my garden that same day. Thankfully it did not happen then. I didn’t even hear it fall because the wind was so heavy but when we came outside the next morning, a significant portion of the tree was down.”

Singh said his concerns are not new. In January, Northglen News reported on the same stretch of road with the same ongoing issue. Some residents on Mount Argus Road could not access their driveways – the road had to be closed and the electricity lines were also knocked over, resulting in the area having no power for several hours.

He says he has been raising complaints “for years,” including during the Covid period when another tree toppled over.

Another major fall occurred on January 16, leaving the area with no internet and no electricity. Singh, an avid gardener, says the situation has reached a point where the neglect is becoming dangerous.

“Someone will get hurt. It feels like it’s falling on deaf ears. I don’t know what the excuse is anymore. During Covid we were told there was a backlog of incidents where trees needed chopping and maintaining. There can’t still be a backlog so many years later? These trees are dead, and they keep falling.”

He said he hopes the latest incident prompts urgent action from the relevant municipal departments before a collapse leads to injury or worse.

The City did not comment at the time of publishing.

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