BEREA police were called to Vause Road after a huge Flamboyant tree collapsed across the busy street on Thursday, 26 February.
Warrant Officer Michael Mahadasen and his team from Berea SAPS cordoned off the the road, which leads to Durban High School, while they waited for the Parks Department to clear the scene. Mahadasen said Vause Road was one of the busiest streets in the area because it leads to DHS.
The Parks Department had not yet arrived when Berea Mail visited the scene an hour later.
A Vause Road resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said she only realised something was amiss when a Myna bus reversed past her home. “I knew something must have happened, and our security guard told us one of the huge Flamboyant trees had come down. It is very sad, because they are such beautiful trees with bright orange and red flowers and provide shade when we walk past. It is fortunate that nobody was injured,” she added.
Clive Pietersen, an Umbilo resident who was passing by, said, “This does not come as a surprise to me, especially with the amount of rain we have had recently. You don’t have to be a scientist to see that these trees need to be tested. They are so old, and I doubt they have been tested, so its only a matter of time before they cause real damage to motorists and pedestrians, maybe even school children,” he said.
