Kimberley residents raise alarm after olive trees cut back to stumps

THE SEVERE cutting back of olive trees near Oranje Toyota in Kimberley has sparked concern among residents, prompting many to voice their outrage on social media.

The trees, which are a protected species in the Northern Cape, were cut back drastically, leaving only thick stumps in the ground.

As Arbour Week is currently in full swing, and people are being encouraged to plant trees, the DFA reached out to Oranje Toyota following the public outcry. General manager Dewald Oberholzer responded to the concerns.

According to Oberholzer, the decision to cut back the trees followed a call from the municipality. “We were phoned a while ago by the municipality stating that the treetops are growing into the municipal overhead line, and we must ensure that this is corrected,” he explained.

He added that the overgrowth of the trees was causing several risks to both the dealership and the public. “As you drive out of Toyota/Caltex, the visibility to the left on the N12 Cape Town road was made difficult due to the trees’ overgrowth, even leading to accidents,” Oberholzer said.

Other concerns raised by the dealership included security risks. “The trees’ sizes and growth started to become a security risk, as anyone could climb into the trees and over our fencing. Members of the public were urinating against the trees in full view of staff, clients and their children due to the density of the trees. Visibility of our security cameras was obstructed, which again raised a security risk as per our risk assessment team,” he noted.

Oberholzer also pointed out that the trees were creating flooding problems. “The trees’ fallen fruit and leaves blocked all our stormwater drains in the customer parking lot. When it rains, water stands halfway up to our showroom and takes three to five days to drain, which results in an occupational health and safety risk to staff and clients.”

When questioned about why the branches were cut back so drastically, Oberholzer stressed that the trees were not destroyed. “The trees were not cut down to the trunk. The large splitting branches are still intact for regrowth to maintain and manage size better in the future. Some of the trees even have small branches still intact,” he said.

Concerns were also raised about whether the proper permissions were obtained. Oberholzer confirmed, “We cut the trees on a telephonic request from the municipality.”

Should the trees fail to recover, Oranje Toyota has pledged to take responsibility. “Yes, we will take full responsibility if this happens, but research was done on the regrowth of these specific trees,” Oberholzer assured. 

He added that the municipality inspected the site the day after trimming and was satisfied that no trees were removed, relocated or destroyed.

Experts note that olive trees are hardy and can regrow even after severe trimming, often sprouting new branches from the stump. For now, residents will have to wait and see whether the trees recover as promised.