Anger as vegetation on Umgeni River bank cut down

THE eThekwini Municipality has warned residents against cutting down vegetation in a conservancy as they could be fined.

This comes after the Umgeni Estuary Conservancy discovered that a Weeping Brides Bush or Pavetta lanceolata was cut down on the bank of Riverside Road, ostensibly, to secure a ‘river view’.

This section of riverine vegetation was also targeted in 2021 in the vicinity of Thames Place and Riverside Road.

“You cannot cut down any trees, bushes or plants on the riverbank unless it’s an alien invasive, and even then, permission is required. The riverbank doesn’t belong to anyone, however, the conservancy just caretakes it and looks after the area. To me, it looks like this tree was cut down and cleared for a river view. We had a similar incident in 2021, and a few trees were targeted in that instance.

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“In fact, our chairperson actually caught one of the itinerant workers who was told by a resident on the residential side of Riverside Road to cut down the vegetation. Right now, the branches of the Pavetta have just been left in a pile near the bike and trail path. It is very sad as to our knowledge, this was the only Pavetta planted on the riverbank,” she said.

According to Rosemary Harrison, a member of the conservancy, the tree was planted in 1988.

“When the 87 floods affected Durban, this particular bank along Riverside Road was rebuilt, and many of the trees planted were there for a specific reason, to help stop any water from flowing over and flooding the road. The proper route to go through is to contact the Parks Department, however, they will not grant permission if the reason you want a tree cut is for a river view,” she reiterated.

Her comments were echoed by eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Gugu Sisilana who reiterated that a resident can be charged for cutting down a tree along the riverbank without permission from the Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries (PLC) Department.

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“Any cutting down of the trees in a conservancy should be undertaken by the PLC Department or can be done under the supervision of the department. If anyone is found cutting trees in the conservancy without obtaining permission or authority from PLC, they can be reported to the department, and they will be fined accordingly. Residents are not permitted to cut trees for the sake of enjoying sea views, or any other invalid reasons thereof,” she said.

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