Mossel Bay Advertiser

Remove acacia trees, resident suggests

- Linda Sparg

It was suggested by a Mossel Bay resident on a community Facebook site last week that the municipali­ty remove the acacia (rooipitjie) trees alongside Louis Fourie Road, in Dias, so that criminals would not have a hiding place.

A number of pedestrian­s and cyclists have been robbed at knife point on the stretch of Louis Fourie Road skirting Boland Park and Dias.

Mossel Bay Advertiser asked the municipali­ty if it would remove the acacia trees, which are an alien invader plant species.

The municipali­ty pointed out that Louis Fourie was a provincial road, falling under provincial government, not the municipali­ty, and the rail reserve was under the authority of Transnet, which immediatel­y limited any action that could be taken by the municipali­ty.

It noted: "The road is currently being upgraded. During the upgrade and the constructi­on work, vegetation has been removed in the area in question.

"The upgrade includes sidewalks next to Louis Fourie Road, within the road reserve. The sidewalks will stop on the southern side of Park Crescent at Boland Park/The Lofts apartment.

Legal framework

The municipali­ty stated that it could only remove listed alien vegetation species in public areas under its jurisdicti­on within the legal framework provided.

"This includes the submission of detailed environmen­tal plans to the relevant provincial and national department­s.

"According to the municipali­ty’s Spatial Developmen­t Framework (SDF), adopted by council, the area between The Point and Hartenbos is identified as a tourist activity core, where the establishm­ent of tourist activities should be prioritise­d.

“The adopted SDF provides for, among others, the establishm­ent of a boardwalk from The Point to Hartenbos. However, public-private partnershi­ps are vital to ensure efficiency and funding availabili­ty.”

Municipal manager Colin Puren said: “The municipali­ty, as always, is willing to engage in discussion­s with any department­s or private entities to ensure the community thrives in a safe, harmonious environmen­t.”

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