Another potential disaster is brewing at Florida Lake, threatening not only hundreds of trees surrounding the lake, but also potentially posing a danger to users of the popular public park.
The Roodepoort Record received reports from an angry resident who had left his car in the parking area in Swan Avenue, only to return later and find that one of the massive trees that line the shore had fallen over on top of the car, damaging it and leaving some of the stock from his small events rental company irreparable.
Clive Powdrell reported that his claim against Johannesburg City Parks and Zoos (JCPZ) public liability insurance was denied by the insurance company on the basis that the fallen tree bore signs of having been burnt at the base, thereby compromising the structural strength of the tree.
Since the burning at the base of the tree was deemed to have been done by a community member, the entity is, according to the insurance provider, not guilty of any wrongdoing.
The Record set off to investigate, and a short walk around the lake with Florida South Residents Association chairperson Rodney Churchyard revealed that most of the larger trees around the lake bear signs of burning at the base.
“A great many of these trees are burnt so badly that it is scarcely believable that they are still standing. The entire insides of these trees are burnt out, leaving them vulnerable to falling over at any moment,” journalist Johan Meyer says.
The Record saw several trees that had already fallen over.
According to Churchyard, this is nothing new.
“This has been reported on many occasions, but nothing is ever done about it,” he says.
“The trees are damaged by vagrants who dig out a small hole at the base of trees and start fires [at night] to keep warm.
“The tree would burn throughout the night, providing warmth for the people who sleep next to it. There is also the added advantage for them that it would not go out. When they return to the tree the next night, they just have to blow on the embers a bit and they have fire again.”
Churchyard adds that it is a small wonder that no one has yet been injured by a falling tree.
“It is just a matter of time before one of these trees comes down on someone. Taking into account the size of the trees, I shudder to think what the consequences may be.”
The Record approached JCPZ spokesperson Jenny Moodley regarding the denied insurance claim, the vagrant problem, the lack of security, and the state of the trees at the lake, and will report on her answers in a follow-up article.
