VE Berg Trip 2

I wish I could come, but I am on an urgent job till Friday this week

On the bright side I will be in the Berg this weekend, heading up Langies and down North Jarding as a day hike, should be fun - and a long write up should be posted soon thereafter

Looking forward to a nice long write up

I am proud of you for using the site for good causes Chris. Thanks to everyone who supported the weekend; as usual it was a great time!

Well done for an effort above and beyond the call of duty.
I don't want to put a damper on this but have you told KZN Wildlife what you are doing, or obtained their permission. Despite these being invasive alien plants the bureaucrats behind the desks may see the cutting down of trees in a World Heritage Site by enthusiastic outsiders in a different light. They are severely twitchy at the moment over the via ferrata issue at Beacon Buttress. A phone call to the local ranger would probably be all that is needed.
I am not an expert in trees but have eliminated several unwanted aliens in my back yard. Cutting them down is heavy manual labour and with pine trees may just help to spread the seeds further. If you use a portable rechargeable drill with say a half inch or larger bit, and drill a hole diagonally downward in to the wood of the trunk, then pour some concentrated Roundup (Glyphosate) herbicide in to the hole, the tree is doomed and with much less work, and hopefully won't spread too many seeds before it dies. Glyphosate herbicides will decompose naturally to harmless substances, ie. they won't stay in the environment for long. Who carries the drill and bottle of Roundup is maybe the biggest problem.