Durban - Businesswoman Roseanne Narandas intends charging her neighbour with malicious damage to property after 26 of the 30 expensive trees outside her Westville home were recently chopped off at the crown.
She said she was horrified when she saw that the once towering Murraya Exotica on her property had been damaged.
“I’m devastated. I take great pride in my garden and have my gardener working on it daily,” said Narandas.
She took to social media on Friday to vent her frustration and asked how to “handle” her neighbour.
Narandas said she had requested the neighbour resolve the matter, but he had later allegedly blocked her from messaging him on WhatsApp.
She said they share a boundary wall, which he owns, and that she had planted the trees to provide a measure of privacy.
Every so often, Narandas allowed him to trim the trees as they grew onto his electric fencing.
But what she discovered two weeks ago was more than she could bear.
“When I walked out and saw my trees had been chopped, I screamed.
Roseanne Narandas of Westville poses next to her garden trees that were chopped off by her neighbour. Picture: Doctor Ngcobo/African News Agency (ANA)
“He heard me and ran into his house and sent me a message that his gardener had not followed instructions.”
She said the owner and his gardener later went to her home to apologise.
But an apology was not good enough, she said, adding she demanded he replace the trees.
The neighbour allegedly said he would speak to his plant supplier and was in turn told that since it was spring, and the trees still had its roots, the buds would grow back.
“It took me 15 years to grow all 30 of them and now he expects me to wait for it to grow back.”
The neighbour said the “issue” needed to be handled between them.