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TUESDAY 3 November 2020 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | Email: post@peoplespost.co.za | Website: www.peoplespost.co.za
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People’s Post
TOKAI
Poison threat creeps in NETTALIE VILJOEN NETTALIE.VILJOEN@MEDIA24.COM
“P
The owner of this property located in Tokai suspects that his bougainvillaea creeper has been poisoned. ity needed for security reasons, leaves/branches blocking television or data signals, allergies and the risk of tree branches or the entire tree falling. According to Zahid Badroodien, Mayco member for community services and health, there are signs you could look out for if you suspect a plant or tree has been poisoned. “A tree or plant that’s been poisoned will die suddenly and typically show signs of deterioration within one to three weeks. Symptoms may include wilting, dry and yellowing leaves. These could be observed in part of or around the entire plant,” Badroodien adds. Poison is usually applied to plants with overhead spray; ground application or trunk application; or injection. Badroodien says some poisons are toxic for humans if touched or consumed. “Soil and groundwater may also be pollut-
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ed if the poison is applied to the soil. However, the health risks are relatively low for humans if they don’t come into direct contact with the poison,” he says. If the cause is detected early, the plant or tree might be nurtured back to health by taking the necessary precautions such as using a spray bottle with clean water to wash off the infected area, irrigating normally, and applying light fertilizer or foliar, the City advises. For private property, residents may report the loss of trees and shrubs to their police station. Vandalism of trees on City property is an infringement of the City’s bylaws. V Members of the public who may have any information on the poisoning of trees can send an email to the City Arborist at arborist@capetown.gov.za or call the City’s emergency number by phoning 107 from a landline, or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone.
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Cilliers urges the community to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity and she says the police also plan to increase their stop-and-searches in the early hours of the morning. “If we see people moving around at a certain time of night and if we find something on him or her, like a garden sprayer, then the person must explain why they have it on them,” Cilliers adds. Although the motivation behind the poisoning of trees or plants on private property is open to speculation, the City of Cape Town says, that based on similar incidents regarding the poisoning of gum trees on City land, it is aware that situations do arise where plants or trees are intentionally damaged by the public due to impaired views by leaves and branches, leaf, flower or fruit litter, roots cracking property foundations, trees standing in the way of developments, visibil-
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oisoned! Danger! This tree/creeper appears to have been poisoned by an extremely toxic foliar spray. Please stay clear! Saps are investigating,” read signs displayed on the perimeter walls of a property located on the corner of Tokai and Myrtle roads. This property belongs to Tokai resident Arthur McKey who suspects that his bougainvillaea creeper has been poisoned by a spiteful passerby. According to McKey, the once-thriving creeper just suddenly withered and died a few weeks ago. “The walls were going to be covered with beautiful overhanging bougainvillaea creepers (all different colours) to cheer up my neighbours and me during these difficult Covid-19 times. This creeper was going to be my ‘pièce de résistance’,” McKey adds. He claims this is not the first time his verge garden has been targeted. Since 2003, the avid gardener has been systematically transforming the once bare Tokai corner into a colourful garden patch. He claims, in the early days, heads of flowers were snapped off and left for him to find in the morning. About two years ago, he claims, two large Cape Coastal oaks facing towards his property were also poisoned. “My main concern is for the children and the workers in the area who regularly avail themselves of all the guava and pomegranate fruitfall which, when in season, lies thick on the ground,” he adds. McKey has reported the latest case to the police. Colonel June Cilliers, Kirstenhof police station commander, confirms that a report has been lodged for the record. She says, although no other residents have recently reported incidents of suspected plant or tree poisoning at their properties, it was a problem in the Tokai area a few years ago and that she is concerned it might flare up again. She says the concern exists that these poisons might hold a danger for children or pets who might accidentally come into contact with them.