Johannesburg threatens parties with R500 fine per poster
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE
The City of Johannesburg requires parties to remove their election posters within 14 days of the vote, or face a R500 fine per poster. Municipal services will themselves remove non-compliant posters, according to the city.
The City of Johannesburg is threatening political parties and independent candidates who took part in the recent elections with a fine of R500 per poster if they do not remove their campaign signs within 14 days of the vote, according to the municipality.
Parties must first receive a formal notice from the municipal council setting a deadline for clean-up. If they fail to respond, the Metro Police’s by-law enforcement unit removes and collects the posters, then charges the party concerned R500 per poster to cover removal costs. The city states that this procedure is based on section 28 of the Outdoor Advertising By-laws of 2009.
The municipality considers that posters left on public land make the city unsightly, compromise road safety and damage municipal property. "Leaving campaign material indefinitely constitutes a form of public pollution," it states, calling on parties to take responsibility for cleaning up the spaces used during their campaigns.
