Pretoria - Rumours that the City of Tshwane wants to cut down the iconic jacaranda trees are far from the truth.
MMC for environment and agriculture management Katlego Mathebe set the record straight about the future of jacaranda trees in the city on the back of stories doing the rounds that the metro would do away with the plants because of their status as invaders.
Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda City because the plants, for years, have presented the image and the feel of the municipality in the eyes of its residents and outsiders.
Tourists flock to the city because they see jacaranda trees in bloom as a natural centre of attraction.
In Mathebe’s words: “Jacarandas hold a significant heritage in Tshwane. Moreover, because of their great ability to store carbon, they help improve the effects of global warming. These trees and their blossoms are also a popular attraction for locals and tourists alike.”
She said contrary to stories that jacaranda trees would be dealt with, “the City would like to assure nature lovers and Tshwane residents that the jacarandas are here to stay”.
“The City will not engage in any jacaranda tree-cutting as they are exempted from the invaders list,” she said.
She also raised concerns about the illegal cutting and general vandalism of street trees.
“The country has legislation on the protected species of trees which may not be removed and processed, sold, donated or purchased without a licence from the national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment,” she said.
Mathebe said any person who cut down trees illegally was guilty of an offence and was liable to a fine not exceeding R10 000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months.
“Jacarandas are known to be a key feature of extensive urban forests and are an aesthetic identity for Tshwane. Therefore, they will be protected at all costs. The City will also not tolerate the illegal cutting of many of its other trees,” she said.
Historian and archaeologist Anton van Vollenhoven has in the past said environmental groups had wanted to remove them as far back as the 1970s and 1980s as they were viewed as threats to the environment.
The jacaranda trees were not native to South Africa but were originally indigenous to South America.
Their long-standing history in South Africa can be traced back to as early as 1880 when they were imported to the country from Argentina.
This week André Valkenburg, who works in urban forestry at the City’s environmental management and parks division, was quoted as saying that the jacarandas had a reputation for being heavy water users as invaders but were in fact quite average water consumers.
Pretoria News