Dr Arne Witt from Wilderness writes:
George Municpality's (GM) Electrotechnical Services should be commended for putting up new powerlines along the Whites and Seven Passes roads in Wilderness Heights.
This may resolve some of the long-standing issues with power outages.
However, you need to question how this is being done. Seven Passes is a national monument, at least some sections of it, which means that it has heritage status and should be protected.
It is also a significant tourist attraction, when open to traffic. So, maintaining it as a tourist attraction should be a priority for all stakeholders.
However, I need to ask myself if the authorities are aware, considering what recently transpired.
A contractor was appointed by the Electrotechnical Department to remove vegetation along Seven Passes for the construction of new powerlines. The contractor was, or so it would appear, told to remove all vegetation - every herb, shrub and tree between the edge of the road and the fence, even in areas where the fence was 30m away from the roadside.
Totally unnecessary, considering that you only need to clear an area 3m to 5m wide for a powerline, and then you should only really have to remove vegetation that may pose a threat to transmission.
Anyway, all vegetation was removed, even if it posed no threat to transmission now or in the future. Some of these plants may even have been protected species. By the time we informed others in the GM as to what had transpired and the clearing was stopped, much of the damage had been done.
Ironically, the massive pines on either side of the road, which pose the biggest threat to the powerlines, had been left standing.
Then two weeks ago, a grader was seen grading much of the areas that had been cleared for the erection of the powerlines. So, what was once a tract of indigenous trees and shrubs was now part of the road. I can only assume that the powerlines will now be erected in the edge of the road, and not alongside it.
Be that as it may, the chances of any natural regeneration of any native species is now close to nil. What was once a scenic route, a tourist attraction, a beautiful patch of forest, is now an absolute mess. Whoever did the grading has clearly demonstrated that they have a total disregard of the natural environment.
Who did the grading? Who knows? But I have been led to believe it was the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM).
All of this could have been done very differently, in a way that protects the natural environment as much as possible, and reduces costs. None of this transpired here. In addition, there appears to be limited to no communication between the different departments within the GM, and little to no communication between the GM and GRDM.
The concept of co-operative governance is a pipe dream resulting in a waste of resources and situations like I have just explained above.
Landowners are compelled to abide to certain rules and regulations, regulations that are there to protect the environment, but these don't seem to apply to the authorities who should be setting an example. A very sad and unacceptable situation.
What transpired here should never have happened and we hope that it will never happen again. Please don't destroy our Wilderness, our village and its natural beauty.
The George Municipality responded as follows:
The George Municipality acknowledges the concerns raised regarding the vegetation clearing along the Seven Passes Road, a route with both environmental and heritage significance.
The vegetation clearing forms part of the Wilderness Heights 11kV line rebuild, which is funded through a national Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant (MDRG). This infrastructure project aims to restore a powerline that was severely damaged during a storm.
Two contractors were appointed to the project - one for civil works and one for vegetation management - the latter with specific instructions to clear invasive species such as black wattle, pine, blue gum and blackwood to facilitate safe installation of the overhead powerline.
Following community concerns in April, the municipality's environmental planning officer conducted a site inspection and agreed that the initial method of clearing had been excessive and not fully aligned with best environmental practices.
As a result, revised instructions were issued to the contractor, and no further vegetation work has taken place since 23 April 2025. The project remains on hold pending the necessary way leave from the Western Cape Provincial Government, as they are custodians for the roads and road reserve.
We acknowledge that the natural environment is irreplaceable and a vital part of both our ecological health and our local tourism economy. George Municipality is committed to a responsible approach to development - one that balances service delivery needs with environmental sustainability.
We welcome constructive input from residents and conservation stakeholders as we continue to improve our practices.
It is also important to note that any recent activity in the area may relate to roadworks by the Garden Route District Municipality, which is not part of the George Municipality's project scope.
The GRDM referred the newspaper to the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure, whose comment is being awaited.
