The Borer Action Group including: Julian Ortlepp of Tree Works, David Kretzchmar of Chop Em Tree Fellers, Andrea Rosen of the Johannesburg Urban Forest Alliance, Ross Nijmeijer of TC Services, Ray Rockhill of Nectasource, Paul Baker of Acacia Tree Fellers and Ricardo Mellors of Urban Forest write:

MMC Nonhlanhla Sifumba released a press statement too early to classify the outbreak of PSHB in Joburg a disaster. It is apparent that Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, MMC Sifumba and the City of Johannesburg are downplaying the extent of this problem resulting in the widespread neglect of trees in the city….

We have it on good authority that in fact, over 1 200 trees have been reported since January 2019 alone via their Whatsapp number. One only needs to drive around the suburbs that are most affected and you will count well over 98 affected trees…

The private sector has done far more than City Parks has in creating awareness… Numerous public talks have been held over the past two years by private tree companies, residents’ associations and landscaping institutions and Johannesburg Urban Forest Alliance (Jufa). City Parks is only holding its first on 11 March 2019. Although it claims to be mapping trees in various areas now, this is too little, too late. We are now in the thick of the crisis, and the mapping and practical involvement should have started two years ago….

A few service providers met with City Parks in its board room along with other role players from government in Braamfontein at the beginning of April 2018, where various issues were discussed. Among others was that the City needed to provide a disposal site for the contaminated wood. It is almost a year later and we do not have this. We have not been contacted by the City since this meeting, even though MMC Sifumba continues to state in her press releases that the city Continues to meet with us. This is simply not true and is tantamount to misleading the public. We have also had a face-to-face meeting with Herman Mashaba and he promised us some action from Sifumba; what followed was another press release and no interaction with us. This is simply not good enough.

Sifumba’s statement also states that, ‘some London planes along Jan Smuts Avenue, in Saxonwold [it is, in fact, Dunkeld] have developed an immune-mechanism as some wounds are showing positive signs of the tree recuperating from the infestation. These trees continue to be monitored to scientifically verify that they are recovering’. We ask City Parks to make public these findings for all to see. Where does this assumption come from? There is absolutely no scientific proof that we are aware of to suggest this….

The reality is that City Parks is failing in its duty to protect and preserve the green heritage in our city and have been doing so for too long. We now face a situation where streets are lined with dead trees, which are becoming a danger to the public, especially during our Highveld storms. Property is going to get damaged and people are going to get injured or killed if City Parks continues to ignore the issue. It is also time for senior management at City Parks to be held personally accountable when there is damage to property or injury to people….

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