Destroyed A tree collapsed onto a shack while the people who lived there were at church.
Image: Supplied
When Noliseti Nondala returned to her Imizamo Yethu home from Sunday prayers, she was shocked to find that a tree had destroyed it.
A large tree trunk had come loose in the ground in the Petersen Street location and after rocking back and forth, collapsed on the one-bedroom shack.
"When we walked down the street, we had to look twice but really could not believe what we saw. We were just very grateful that we were not at home at the time, but rather at church," she said.
Ms Nondala said her neighbours heard the loud bang and went out to investigate.
"They said the tree was rocking and then it just fell onto the shack. That is actually where my son sleeps and I am only grateful that he was not there at the time."
She was unable to access the shack to remove her belongings due to the size of the tree trunk.
"The entrance was destroyed and now we will have to safely break down everything and try to remove the tree, but it is so big, we not sure what to do," Ms Nondala said.
Another IY resident said they have been warning City officials about various trees that sway dangerously when wind speeds pick up.
Philimon Mkanda has a tree in his backyard that has been tied up in seven ways to prevent it from falling in any direction.
"There are about seven shacks around the tree and already the branches were removed. But when there are heavy floods or when the wind is strong, this tree moves from side to side," he said.
"But we have tied it down ourselves to avoid it from falling on anybody, because imagine something this big falls on you while you are sleeping. You will never come out of your dreams again."
Community leader, Kenny Tokwe, said the matter was reported to the City of Cape Town, but very little was done to tackle the fears.
"We have reported this very dangerous problem to the City, but they only sent out officials who took some pictures and then left," he said.
Mr Tokwe said as the winter months settled in, the rains had started softening the grounds around IY, leaving lots of loose soil and increasing the chances of a tree collapsing.
"People are living in fear about these trees, because it is a reality that during the night, while they are sleeping, a tree can collapse right on top of them," Mr Tokwe said.
He said no serious injuries had been suffered in the past, but said there are several dangerous trees scattered around IY.
"These are big and old trees and they can kill somebody if they are to fall on anybody," Mr Tokwe added.
According to Mr Tokwe, during last year's winter, about four trees had fallen over in the area, but fortunately, no injuries or damages had been reported.
Tall danger There are fears this tree will be the next to topple over.
Image: Supplied
Ward councillor Roberto Quintas said the matter was not brought to the attention of the City and called on the public to report these problems to the City for action to be taken.
"I would need to see the reference numbers requesting tree-felling which the residents would have received when they reported this to the City," said Mr Quintas.
"I have no other communication around these and I encourage residents to use the City’s call centre, App or website in order to make service requests."
Residents are also able to visit the ward councillor's office at the Hout Bay Library to report items of concern.
"Without details such as what is wanted, and where the issue can be found, for e.g, road name or structure number, it is difficult to act on requests," Mr Quintas said.