Qacha’s Nek, Sep. 03 —What was meant to be a safety exercise to remove aging, hazardous trees at the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) premises turned into a costly ordeal for several street vendors who refused to remove their shacks despite repeated warnings.
According to the Qacha’s Nek Town Clerk, Mr. Thabo Maema, vendors were informed well in advance, over a month before the tree-cutting exercise, that they needed to move their stalls to avoid potential damage.
“They were fully aware that there was a possibility the trees might fall on their shacks. They told us they were willing to risk it all,” he said in an interview with the Agency.
Mr. Maema added that the vendors signed letters acknowledging that neither the Urban Council nor MoET would be held responsible for damages. When they refused to move, we put this in writing and they accepted and signed. The tree cutting resumed as scheduled,” he explained.
