Attempts by the Endumeni Municipality to ‘green’ the area by planting indigenous trees at the entrance to Sibongile have been wrecked by vandals. In December, the Parks and Gardens Department planted 53 trees in the vicinity of Ziga Street. Barely a week later, 23 had either been uprooted or simply destroyed.

Caiphas Mndaweni, Manager of the Department, said the trees had been sourced from Ixopo. “This is very sad to see. We urge anyone witnessing people destroying or stealing trees to immediately contact the police and/or the municipality,” he said.