Hedge on Waterside Road a thorny issue

The dense hedge growing on the bank of the Touw River along Waterside Road in Wilderness has become a thorny issue with locals complaining that the required maintenance is sorely lacking.

- Alida de Beer

Long-term resident Lesley Goetsch says the road used to be a scenic route because the river was always visible from it, but this changed due to a noticeable decline in upkeep over the past few years. “The hedge is allowed to grow taller and taller, it is smothering the milkwoods and also inhibiting birds from nesting,” she says.

A large section of the hedge was recently removed by an unknown resident, which led to some backlash.

Some Waterside Road residents have taken matters into their own hands. Sections where the hedge is encroaching on the pedestrian path are trimmed, and in some places residents have cut it back considerably, replacing the bush with small gardens, which seem to have been established quite some time ago.

A large section of the hedge was recently removed by an unknown resident, which led to a backlash from an environmentally conscious resident who reported it to SANParks.