TWO days after an overgrown jacaranda tree fell metres away from a Park Hill resident’s house, damaging her electric fencing and a boundary wall she shares with her neighbour, the eThekwini Municipality has admitted that it did not have the equipment to help the resident who said she had pleaded with the city to remove the dangerous alien invader.
Pam Bheekie said she has been trying for five years to get the tree cut down as it posed a danger not only to her house but also to her neighbours.
“I’ve had several meetings with parks department officials and all of them have admitted the tree required attention. In January, I was told the reason they couldn’t attend to the issue was because there was a backlog of work.
“I was told if I used a private tree feller I could face criminal charges. There is a second tree that is also close to tipping over and I’ve raised my concerns with the municipality about this as well,” she said.
When Northglen News asked the city why they waited for disaster to strike before coming to Bheekie’s aid, they said they did not have the equipment to do so. This incident has infuriated local councillor, Dean Macpherson who said the parks department must be held responsible for the damage.
“Residents of Durban North pay high rates but do not receive world class service from the municipality. Here’s a resident who has gone through the right channels but has received a sub-standard service. The parks department is poorly managed, devoid of any leadership and should be put under administration,” Macpherson said.
Macpherson added the parks department was one of the best funded municipal bodies within the eThekwini Municipality.
Deputy Head of Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries Department, Christo Swart said the municipality was liable for the damages but could not say why the department had not budgeted for a bigger hoist machine.
“Action has not been taken because we do not have a big enough crane truck to execute the work. We are looking, but the fleet does not have the required truck. Parks Durban North has a 10 metre extension truck which is not big enough for the work needed. The biggest the parks fleet department has, is a 12 meter extension. We need a 14 metre extension crane truck, hence we are trying to liaise with other departments for assistance,” Swart said.
Bheekie rubbished the claims asking why the municipality didn’t budget for a bigger crane. “Does someone have to die before any action is taken. I’m just glad no one was injured or driving on the road when the tree collapsed,” she said.
