On 5 February, Mpho Mokoka came home after dropping her husband off at work and found that a big Bougainvillea had fallen across her front gate, blocking access to her residence entirely.
She then called her neighbours, William and Waven Harper, who attempted to cut off some of the tree’s branches with a handsaw.
Marina Jansen van Vuuren, who witnessed the incident said, “When we came home, they asked us for help. My husband Hendrik and our neighbour Heinrich Havenga went to assist, also with only a handsaw. We soon realised that getting the tree removed would be a huge task and decided to call the emergency services. However, upon arrival, officials from the emergency services told us they would not be able to assist as it was not a council tree”.
Marina proceeded to call the West Suburbs Neighbourhood Watch (WSRNW) and within 10 minutes, 12 people from the Neighbourhood Watch arrived to assist. One of the members, Danny Coetzee, fetched his chainsaw, and with the chainsaw and his Mazda bakkie, managed to remove the tree on Sunday evening. The residents and the members of the neighbourhood watch cleared Mpho’s driveway and she managed to get her vehicle inside her yard.
Marina says this would not have been possible if the residents and the neighbourhood watch had not worked together to assist.
“It was no easy task and without the neighbourhood watch, we wouldn’t have been able to help Mpho at all. We would like to thank William and Waven Harper, Hendrik and Gawie Jansen van Vuuren and Heinrich Havenga. It’s great to know that we can always rely on them”, Marina concluded.
The residents of Haynes Street would also like to thank the members of the WSRNW, namely: Charlie and Magda Kruis, Manuel Alho (snr), Manuel Alho (jnr), Trysie Alho, Barry and Tanya van den Vyfer, Emile Sandenbergh, Danny Coetzee, Frik van Zyl, Grietha Caldwell and Johan Schutte for their assistance.
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