Political parties will be fined for each poster not removed by the deadline. Photographer: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Political parties in the eThekwini Municipality have been put on notice: remove your election posters by Sunday June 30 or face substantial fines.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the municipality announced that any party failing to clear their posters from municipal infrastructure by the deadline would be fined R1193 per poster.
This enforcement follows a Council decision made in December last year, that mandated political parties remove their election posters within a specified time-frame.
Sagren Naicker, the acting manager of general advertising in the Development Planning Unit, clarified the regulations, stating that each political party or candidate was permitted to put up to 800 posters per ward for the election.
“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,” Mr Naicker said.
He added that this rule also applies to those who were granted permission to advertise on highways and beach fronts specifically for the election period.
The municipality said it is commitment to strictly enforcing advertising by-laws within its jurisdiction. “No one is allowed to erect any advertisement without prior permission from our unit,” Mr Naicker reiterated.
With the election period now concluded, eThekwini City Manager Musa Mbhele highlighted the importance of adhering to these regulations.
He said the removal of posters was not only a matter of legal compliance but also one of maintaining the city’s cleanliness and aesthetics. “Some posters have been blown off street poles while others are hanging precariously,” said Mr Mbhele.
The Council resolution clearly stipulates that all election posters must be removed within 30 days following the election. This measure aims to prevent posters from becoming litter or visual clutter in the city’s landscape.
Mr Mbhele urged all political parties to respect the city’s by-laws.