A big branch broke off a tree, damaging the wall of the house on the corner of Coaton Avenue and Rowe Avenue in Selection Park on November 12.
Gerald Bosch, who maintains the house for his grandmother, says that he lodged two queries with the metro and even visited the customer care centre, where they promised the tree would be removed by last Wednesday.
Read: Metro’s empty promises
When they didn’t show up by late afternoon, he went back to the customer care centre and was told that someone would phone him back to let him know what time they would arrive the following day, but it also didn’t happen.
“The worst part is that we contacted the municipality after the branch only cracked on a windy day at first, and they didn’t do anything to prevent what has happened,” says Gerald.
Gerald also mentions that the now damaged wall was replaced a mere month ago, as the roots of the same tree had put pressure on the original wall, causing it to crumble.
“My grandmother’s insurance paid for the new wall.
“And even now, we are not asking the municipality to pay for the damages.
“We just want the tree removed so the insurance assessors can give us a quote,” he says.
Read: ‘Empty promises made by metro’ – DA
He was told by the metro that the tree is one of the oldest in Springs, after he inquired about having it cut down several years ago as it was causing issues with the swimming pool, but says that it hasn’t even been trimmed for several years.
“I wonder, if the tree fell on the house, would metro still be this pathetic?” Gerald says.
By the time this article was submitted for print, the metro had not responded to queries put to them by the Advertiser.
