Local residents are calling for an immediate halt to tree-cutting operations at the Tygerberg Quarry above Uys Krige Street, citing environmental and historical concerns about the removal of trees planted nearly 70 years ago.
The trees in question were planted around 1955 following a public outcry over the quarry’s visible scar on the mountainside. Now, these same trees, which have provided decades of environmental screening, are being removed by the City’s Biodiversity Management branch.
Residents argue that the tree removal threatens Cape Town’s already limited urban canopy, which currently sits at approximately 6%, well below the international norm of 10%.
Local residents have raised multiple concerns about the clearing operations, including the loss of vital environmental services such as shade, cooling and carbon dioxide sequestration. They also worry about the aesthetic impact, describing the removal as creating “a large visible scar on the mountain” and questioning whether proper consultation was undertaken.
“There are concerns that work proceeded without a proper assessment involving landscape architects and local historians,” according to one of the residents.
Residents also fear increased erosion risks and note that rehabilitating the quarry area will be significantly more challenging without the existing tree cover.
Deputy Mayor Alderman Eddie Andrews, who’s also Mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, defended the operation, stating the Biodiversity Management branch was removing trees as part of alien-plant clearing in the Tygerberg Nature Reserve, which encompasses the former quarry site.
“The clearing commenced in the last quarter of 2025 and is being done in line with the reserve’s management plan, fire-reduction plan and associated legislation,” he explained.
The City maintained the trees fell under National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Nemba) regulations requiring their removal as alien species.
However, residents question the necessity of the removal, pointing out that the location presents a low risk of plant invasion, which is typically the primary concern with alien vegetation.
The community is calling for an immediate suspension of the tree cutting until a comprehensive assessment can be conducted, involving landscape architects and possibly local historians, with particular attention to rehabilitation options that could help conceal the quarry scar.
What happens next
The City has not provided a timeline for completion of the clearing operations, nor has it outlined any plans for rehabilitation or replanting in the affected area. The removal programme began in the fourth quarter of 2025, with no indication of when the work might conclude.
