About 20 “thin and brittle” gum trees on Belfort Road, Northdale, which Msunduzi should have removed, now look as if they will fall on homes, residents fear.
Two trees have fallen in the last year, and one has fallen against another tree, residents in the area said.
The small community now fears it is only a matter of time before one of the bluegum trees crashes onto a property.
Large plots of vacant bushy land surround homes on the road.
Shannon Sewnarain, whose house is flanked by several bluegums, said he had tried in vain for two years to get Msunduzi to chop them down.
“In 2016 I went in person to the parks [and recreation] department and told them about the problem. Nothing happened. Last year I went again and I was promised something would happen.
“Somebody from the department came to inspect the area and said they were alien trees. We have also noticed the municipality chopping down these trees around the area. But still nothing has happened.”
Sewnarain, who has lived on the road for 17 years, said the trees appeared to be “losing branches and dying”.
“One fell earlier this year and it was during a not very strong wind. There are also lots of termites around here.”
He said the problem made him consider selling the house.
“But where do we go? We like the tranquility here. The air is fresh and there’s a lot of wildlife.”
Msunduzi did not respond to a detailed query by the time of going to print.
Alison Young, a horticulturist at UKZN’s School of Life Sciences, confirmed bluegums were aliens and illegal to plant.
She said they would need to be chopped down if threatening to “invade nearby untransformed veld or, in this case, because it’s allegedly structurally unstable.”
She said Msunduzi would be “liable for the maintenance of the trees” on municipal land.