The Tshwane metro says it is yet to receive a petition calling for urgent tree trimming in Ward 82, despite growing frustration among residents who blame overgrown vegetation for repeated and prolonged power outages.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that while the metro is unaware of the petition submitted by residents in December, complaints about trees interfering with power lines in the ward have been recorded.

“The city is yet to receive the petition in question,” said Mashigo.

Mashigo said formal complaints regarding trees interfering with overhead power lines have been added to the metro’s priority list and will be managed by the Energy and Electricity Business Unit.

According to Mashigo, routine tree inspections and trimming are conducted “as and when there is an essential need” with several suburbs in Ward 82 currently prioritised.

These include Menlo Park, Lynnwood, Alphen Park, Maroelana, Hazelwood, Brooklyn, Waterkloof 376 JR, Waterkloof Park, and Newlands (West).

He confirmed that power outages in Ward 82 over the past year have been linked to overgrown trees damaging power lines.

“Infrastructure damage due to short circuits is a safety risk associated with trees interfering with power cables, particularly during storms or high winds,” Mashigo said.

Mashigo added that while contractors are in place to assist with tree trimming, the metro faces budget and capacity constraints.

“The budget for contracted services is limited, and capacity constraints are stretched by power failures,” he said.

He said tree trimming affecting power restoration is attended to immediately, while other requests are planned, subject to capacity.

“Continuous tree pruning will be prioritised throughout the rainy season,” Mashigo said.

Residents, however, say the lack of visible action on the ground has left communities feeling ignored.

Resident Janco Fourie, the author of the petition, previously said the absence of feedback has been deeply frustrating.

He said untrimmed trees regularly interfere with power cables, leading to outages and damaged infrastructure.

“This creates serious safety and security risks because there is no lighting and people are left vulnerable,” he said.

The petition urges residents to include the suburb, street and crossing streets where tree trimming is required, in an effort to help the municipality prioritise problem areas.

According to the document, untrimmed trees place additional strain on already fragile infrastructure, resulting in longer restoration times when faults occur.

“Regular maintenance would reduce both the frequency and duration of outages and improve overall safety in the area,” the petition states.

Fourie encouraged residents to continue supporting the petition and to clearly indicate affected streets so pressure can be maintained on the municipality.

Ward councillor Siobhan Muller said she has repeatedly raised the issue with the metro, but the situation worsened over the festive season and into January.

“I have asked the metro several times to cut the trees. Electricity issues have worsened from December to January,” Muller said.

She said the city’s COO had acknowledged a backlog.

“They have indicated that there is a backlog and that they are doing their best, but it is not enough,” she said.

Muller said the impact on residents and businesses has been severe.

“Some residents have been without power for nine days, while businesses have gone without electricity for up to 14 days. In one case, a property has had no electricity for two months,” she said.

Residents are encouraged to log service requests via the city’s System Analysis Program Customer Relationship Management (SAP/CRM) system to ensure their streets and intersections are officially recorded for urgent attention.

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