Public outrage over damage to baobabs

The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry is due to meet with the Department of Transport to discuss the correct and acceptable procedures to be followed when bush clearing is done along provincial roads.

This was the commitment given by Ms Shumani Dzivhani from the Forest Regulation and Oversight Directorate in response to a media enquiry by the Zoutpansberger regarding the unacceptable, and possibly illegal, manner in which bush clearing was done along the D2692 road between Musina and Venetia Mine.

As part of a provincial contract (contract number PUDP 573), put out on tender by the Department of Transport, Global Roads (Pty) Ltd was appointed to clear the road reserve on this stretch of provincial road.  The clearing of the road reserve, however, sparked outrage among residents after people noticed that several baobab trees within the road reserve had been severely damaged by contract workers. In some cases it appears that baobab branches were not even cut but were torn off trees. Many of these branches were merely left tangling from the trees, while others that had been cut off were not even removed but left under the trees. “So which is more dangerous: branches in a tree or branches left within the road reserve?” is what Ms Ralda van Wyk wanted to know. She has an immense love for baobab trees and was devastated when she saw the damage done to the trees while traveling along the road about two weeks ago.

Baobab trees are listed as a protected tree in terms of Section 15(1) of the National Forest Act of 1998. The Act states that “no person may cut, disturb, damage or destroy any protected tree or possess, collect, remove, transport, export, purchase, sell, donate or in any other manner acquire or dispose of any protected tree”. The list of protected trees, as published in the Government Gazette of 7 September 2012, totals 47 tree species. Some of the other trees listed as protected include the marula and leadwood (Hardekool) tree.

Van Wyk took photos of the damaged trees and sent them through to the Zoutpansberger. Copies of the photos were sent through to both the local and provincial offices of the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) for comment. The newspaper wanted to know whether LEDET was aware of the situation and whether any actions will be taken against the contractor.

Apart from Mr Dzivhani’s response, Mr Allan McMurtrie of LEDET’s local office also reacted. “I have informed our enforcement guys; they will investigate and inform me on the outcome,” Mr McMurtrie stated.

In the meantime, Van Wyk informed the Zoutpansberger that, since taking the photos a couple of weeks ago, she has spotted more baobab trees being damaged on the same road more recently. “I am glad the authorities are going to react, but the sad part is that they cannot correct the damage already done to the trees,” Van Wyk said.

News - Date: 27 November 2014

Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

Email: [email protected]