The eThekwini Municipality has called on political parties to remove their election material and posters in Durban and surrounding areas or be fined R200 per poster.
Parties have 30 days from May 29 to remove their election campaign material.
In a bid to restore the visual integrity of urban landscapes and ensure environmental cleanliness, municipalities in South Africa’s major cities – eThekwini, Ekurhuleni and Cape Town – have issued a strict deadline for the removal of all election campaign materials.
eThekwini’s by-laws indicate that campaign material must be taken down within 30 days after the 2024 general elections, which were held on May 29.
The City said if the responsible political party did not comply, the City would remove the posters itself at a cost of R200 per poster, which would be charged to the party in accordance with Schedule 19 of the tariffs for the 2023/24 financial year.
Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the posters are guided under the provision of section 28 of the Durban Metro outdoor advertising by-law.
“All parties/candidates undertake to remove all their election posters within thirty (30) days of the date of the government elections.
“Failure to remove posters after the election period has previously resulted in the municipality removing posters and recovering any costs incurred from the party concerned at the applicable rate,” she said.
Posters are still visible in large parts of the metro, including in uMngeni and Dumisani Makhaye roads and on the Ruth First Highway.
ActionSA provincial chairperson Zwakele Mncwango said the party has already started the process of taking posters down.
“We have started taking our election material down. We are doing so because the law states that, and we should obey.
By the time the 30-day period is reached, we will be done. We are putting a lot of work into this,” Mncwango said.
ANC KZN spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said they have also started the process of removing the posters.
“The process has started and we have told our different structures on the ground to remove them,” he said.
uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s head of programmes Musa Mkhize said the party’s placards in many places in Durban have been removed.
“We know that the posters must be removed and we are doing exactly that,” he said.
DA KZN chairperson Dean Macpherson said the posters would be removed within the prescribed time.
The Msunduzi Municipality also issued a stern warning to parties, saying election-related illustrations must be removed by the close of business on Wednesday, June 12.
The municipality said any person who contravenes or fails to comply with any provision of the by-laws will be guilty of an offence and will be liable to a fine of R50 per poster or R100 per banner.
The Mercury