Cape Town - Teams in the City’s Recreation and Parks Department are set to wrap up their busiest winter season to date.
Between May to August, they responded to 76 call-outs of incidents where trees fell over, damaged infrastructure or blocked roadways as a result of heavy rain, waterlogged soil and strong winds.
The teams worked around the clock to swiftly clear and minimise damage in the interest of public safety.
June resulted in the largest number of tree-related emergencies, with 46 incidents recorded in areas including Parow, Constantia, Monte Vista and Durbanville.
This was due to adverse weather contributing to the risk of branches breaking and trees falling over, including on the M3 on the morning of June 19.
The high rainfall and saturated ground resulted in loosened soil, causing a tree to be blown over by strong winds.
In addition, Recreation and Parks staff members conducted preventive maintenance on several other trees in the vicinity to mitigate any further risks.
Mayco Member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, said it was a challenging winter season, and commended the teams for “the sterling work in responding to tree emergencies, often in very difficult circumstances, to ensure public safety”.
“And, while spring beckons and will likely provide some respite, the teams remain on standby to assist in case of emergencies, in addition to their day to day duties.
“We also want to encourage residents to keep trees on private property maintained throughout the year and to contact their local Recreation and Parks area office for assistance with trees on public property that could potentially be at risk of branches breaking, or the tree itself falling over,” said Van der Ross.
Residents can submit pruning requests via CCT Service Requests (capetown.gov.za), via telephone to 086 010 3089, or by e-mail to [email protected].
Alternatively, residents may email [email protected].
Tree emergencies should be reported to the City's Public Emergency Communication Centre by calling 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.