Durban — After political parties failed to remove election posters, this week the eThekwini Municipality started removing the posters.
In a statement, municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the municipality, through its General Advertising Branch, has started removing election campaign material from electricity street poles and other municipal infrastructure.
She said political parties were required to remove election posters within 30 days after the election date.
“Starting from July 1, signage inspectors have been actively removing these posters and will impose fines on political parties once the process is complete,” Sisilana said.
She said political parties and independent candidates were allowed to have a maximum of 800 posters per ward.
“Council will charge a fine of R1 193 per poster removed by the General Advertising Branch,” Sisilana said.
Before the deadline of June 30, the municipality had urged political parties to remove election campaign material erected on electricity street poles and any other municipal infrastructure or else they would face charges.
The municipality said this was after the council decision taken in December last year advising political parties to remove election posters or be fined R1 193 per poster by the municipality.
The Development Planning, Environment and Management Unit is responsible for the regulation of outdoor advertising in the municipality among other responsibilities. During the election period, consideration was given to relaxing some requirements in the spirit of promoting democracy, the municipality said.
General Advertising in the Development Planning Unit acting manager Sagren Naicker said that should political parties fail to remove posters during the stipulated period, the municipality will remove them and fine the political party based on the number of posters removed.
This applied to political parties that were given permission to advertise on the highways and the beachfront for elections only.
Naicker said they are strict in implementing advertising by-laws within the municipal area. No one is allowed to erect any advertisement without prior permission from their unit.
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