Old, tall trees close to electricity lines along Strelitzia Street in Cresta Ext pose a serious electrical hazard and residents are scared.
When the wind blows, the only thing residents think about is their safety.
Residents claim the tree branches trigger the cables, causing sparks.
“When it rains or is windy, we spend days without electricity because of the trees. They pull the lines up and down. When the sparks start, electricity goes off in the whole block,” said a resident.
Residents said they reported the matter to City Power recently and they only managed to stop the sparks but the problem is not permanently solved because the main problem is the big trees and they are still there.
When contacted, City Power spokesperson Sydney Mphahlele said that it was a Joburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) issue.
JCPZ spokesperson Jenny Moodley said they are aware of the problem concerning the trees.
She said they relied on City Power to contain the sparks and turn off the power so they can start attending to their trees.
“We are currently talking to City Power to isolate the power along this stretch. This will enable the City Parks’ street trees team to safely access the tree without containing possible outages in the area,” she said.
Moodley said residents requiring the pruning of street trees need to firstly identify that they are on public space.
“The request can then be directed to the Joburg Connect Call Centre on 011 375 5555,” she said.
Moodley said trees that overlap onto private property or are entwined in overhead power lines will be forwarded to Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo for action.
“City Parks will only remove tree that cannot be revived, if they are dead, diseased or decayed. Tree stumps are also not removed to allow the tree to regrow where
possible, especially if it has been broken at the stump, due inclement weather,” said Moodley.
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