Aliens expelled from Mount Joy Environment
After 20 years of complaining to Knysna Municipality about the alien vegetation around his property on Mount Joy, Yogesh Pama finally had his wishes granted when a group of workers cleared the majority of the alien plants around the property.
Pama moved to his hillside house in Knysna at the end of Mount Joy Street in 1988, and immediately noticed the staggering amount of alien vegetation which had entrenched itself in the hillside’s ecosystem. He soon began raising his concerns with the municipality in the hope that they would act and clear the alien species, as they proposed risk to his property.
Pama’s worst fears came to fruition in June 2017 when the infamous Knysna Fires had burnt their way to the edge of his property, feeding on the alien species much as they did in so many areas of Greater Knysna.
Luckily for Pama and his wife Kheli, their house was spared, but all of their boundary fences were burnt, along with their vegetable garden and other plants on the property.
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This drove Pama to continue fighting the municipality to clear the area around his property, which is a two-minute walk from the now overgrown old Knysna fort. His efforts finally proved fruitful when, earlier this year, the municipality’s environmental manager Pam Booth contacted Pama to inform him that a tender has been ordered for the clearing of the alien vegetation.
The tender was handed to contractor William Tsengwa, who brought together a team of 12 workers to carry out the clearing of alien species on 8 hectares of dense bush on the hillside. The workers toiled day in and day out for the months of June and July, eventually clearing about 13 hectares.
“The noise of chainsaws every day got a bit old, but in the end it was well worth it when one looks at the hillside now,” Pama said. Prior to the clearing work, he said, the area around his property was so dense that he would walk out of the gate and be able to get lost in two minutes. Booth also stated that follow-up clearing will need to be done in eight months, as the alien vegetation can grow back.
Pama said he is immensely grateful to Tsengwa and his team of workers, as he can now look out over the town of Knysna once again. “Our beautiful view has been restored, I can stare at the town all day again thanks to their amazing work.”
Contractor William Tsengwa, Knysna Municipality environmental manager Pam Booth, workers Matthew Betros and Randall Cable, Yogesh and Kheli Pama.
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Source: Knysna Plett Herald News