The eThekwini Municipality has issued a directive urging political parties in the district to remove all election posters or face fines. The City has set a deadline of June 30, 2024, for the removal of campaign materials from electricity street poles and other municipal infrastructure.
City spokesperson Gugu Sisilana explained that this decision was taken by the council in December 2023. Any political party that fails to comply will incur a fine of R1,193 per poster.
The Development Planning Environment and Management Unit, responsible for regulating outdoor advertising within the Municipality, will enforce this mandate. “During the election period, consideration was given to relaxing some of the requirements in the spirit of promoting democracy,” Sisilana noted.
Sagren Naicker, acting manager of General Advertising in the Development Planning Unit, stated that each political party or candidate was permitted to display up to 800 posters per ward during the election period. Failure to remove these posters by the deadline will result in the Municipality taking action and imposing fines based on the number of posters removed.
This directive also applies to political parties that were granted permission to advertise on highways and the beachfront specifically for election purposes. “We are strict in implementing advertising by-laws within the Municipal area. No one is allowed to erect any advertisement without prior permission from our unit,” Naicker emphasized.
eThekwini City Manager Musa Mbhele reiterated the necessity of compliance with the City’s by-laws. “Now that the election period is over, election posters must be removed. We are governed by a council resolution regarding the removal of election posters. This will also assist in keeping the city clean, as some posters have been blown off street poles while others are hanging precariously,” Mbhele said.
Mbhele urged political parties to adhere to the Municipality’s regulations, highlighting that the council resolution mandates the removal of posters within 30 days after the elections.