On Monday, an outraged resident contacted the Vryheid Herald regarding a tree being cut down in Hoog Street. The concerned resident confronted the tree-fellers, who told her they had been instructed by the municipality to cut down the tree. Trees create oxygen and clear pollutants from the air, and Vryheid residents often boast about its beautiful and towering trees that form lush green canopies in various streets in town, connecting neighbours and neighbourhoods. Vryheid is one of the few towns that have trees that are ‘almost as ancient as time’. Unfortunately, termites attack these trees, or the trees rot and pose a danger to residents’ properties if and when they topple over.

The Vryheid Herald further enquired into the matter and contacted Tree Committee member André van der Walt. He said the Tree Committee was appointed by council many years ago to take care of and assess the cutting of Vryheid’s trees, but ever since then, the mandate was never reviewed or amended, hence new management and council may not even be aware of the Tree Committee’s existence and profile. He furthermore explained that there are other means to deal with a ‘problematic’ tree, for example, “’n Boom se wortels wat die probleem veroorsaak, kan oopgegrou en afgesny word – daarna word ‘n plastiekseil ingewerk aan die wortels se kant, en toegegooi – sodoende keer jy die wortels om weer skade te maak.”

The Vryheid Herald also contacted Ward 8 Councillor Elaine Rodway, who in turn investigated the matter and received feedback from the manager of Environmental Services. Cllr Rodway explained the feedback that she received as follows, “The cutting down of trees is not a matter that is taken lightly in Vryheid, neither by the community nor the municipality. After receiving the complaint about the tree in question being cut down, I went in search of answers. According to the feedback I received, the tree had been reported to the municipality by a concerned resident as posing a threat to the surrounding property and paving. The municipality followed up on the report, as they are obliged to do, and conducted an assessment of the tree and the validity of the complaint. It was established that there was sufficient evidence to believe that the cutting down of the tree was justified. The tree was found to be unstable and, given the recent weather conditions that have devastated some parts of AbaQulusi, it was decided that cutting it down would be the safest option. I don’t believe it would have been cut down without a valid reason nor that this was a decision that would have been entered into without proper deliberation, as the municipality should by now be fully aware of the community’s stance on the preservation of our trees. However, community safety must also be considered and I believe it was with this premise in mind that the municipality acted on the request to remove the tree.”

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.