Enormous termite infested tree falls onto house during storm
During the heavy thunderstorm on Monday afternoon, November 16, an enormous oak tree on the pavement of Konig Road, Boksburg South, gave way and fell directly onto a house.
The heavy gale-force winds and rain made it much easier for the already termite-infested tree to give in.
“The entire house shook and my family, who were inside the building at the time, were left traumatised,” said Jude Manuel.
According to him, this incident could have been avoided if the metro has heeded his plea for help.
“On number of occasions I called the Ekurhuleni Parks Department, asking them to trim the tree,” he said.
”I knew termites were causing damage to the base of the tree and, based on its height and weight, it was inevitable it would topple over.”
The tree, which was several decades old, had allegedly not been trimmed by the municipality since Manuel and his family had moved into the property in 2006.
“The damage to my property, which is presently unsafe to inhabit, is immense,” he said.
The property suffered severe damage to the front patio area, the entire front-end of the roof, the electrical system and the front retaining wall.
The roof trusses and beams in the roof were also all split in two.
According to Manuel, tree-fellers did arrive the following day (Tuesday, November 17) and proceeded to trim and remove the tree over the next three days.
“Apart from the damage, our lives were also put in danger, since the electrical wiring that had come loose came into contact with the water pipes; electricity was thus being carried by the water from all the taps in the house,” he said.
“My wife was shocked while taking a bath and I was shocked while running water from our kitchen tap.”
“What is also shocking is that we have received no help from the emergency services as to date (November 24), nobody has come out to make our house safe or to secure the structure that is hanging loose, or the electricity.”
Manuel added that, due to the electric cabling that’s been affected, his prepaid electricity service has been using high volumes of electrical units since the incident.
Manuel and his family have resorted to taking refuge in a family member’s house, until the structure of their house is secured.
“The ward councillor, Johan Hendricks, has, at least, proved quite helpful, assisting us with communication to-and-from the metro,” he said.
“Hendricks also assisted me to complete the claim forms to the metro for the damage that was caused by the tree.
Manuel has obtained three quotes from various building contractors, as well as an affidavit and completion of claim form, which Hendricks submitted to Mayor Mondli Gungubele’s office on November 24.
“I fear for the lives of my wife and children if I live in a house that is potentially dangerous,” Manuel explained.
“I cannot wait any longer to have the property secured, hence I have asked the contractor with the cheapest quote to start securing and repairing my property.”
The Advertiser has contacted the Ekurhuleni Metro with regard to why the tree had not been trimmed since 2006 and why it was not removed the moment it became infested with termites.
Emergency services was also contacted, in regard to their lack of response in securing the property and the procedures that are followed for a property to be secured.
No response was received from both parties. – @IschkeBoksburg
THUNDERSTORM: E-learning equipment damaged at Sunward High
Wall collapses during heavy storm
