By: Zethu Gweva
A couple of East London residents want political parties to be fined for defacing public property.
This is after a couple was driving in the East London North East Express, and saw political parties painted posters on walls of the bridges.
According to a source who wanted to remain Anonymous, the walls were freshly painted.
“Defacing public property is a crime that should not be taken for granted.”
One of the residents, Michael Jackson said, the posters are damaging the property, especially the newly painted infrastructure.
He added they are not targeting any specific political party but are alluding to all political parties.
“It will again take years for these walls to be clean again, it’s already difficult to clean the streets now they are making it worse by defacing walls on bridges,” he said.
In addition Jackson after the elections, all these defaced public properties will be neglected.
“It takes years for services to be rendered and when we have beautified our infrastructure they go and ruin them,” said Jackson.
According to the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality Spokesperson Samnkelo Ngwenya, political parties will be asked to remove such posters within three days failing which the municipality will remove such posters and bill the offending political party for removal thereof.
He added that for pasted posters the rate is R957.00 per poster and R386.00 for the unpasted poster.
“There is policing of illegal posters, the municipality is issuing notices almost daily for illegal posters,” he said.
Ngwenya said political Parties are requested to abide by the Municipal Outdoor Advertising By-Law and Policy when erecting election posters, election posters are permitted only on street lamp poles and nowhere else.
“We urge them to do so; and if they think they are getting away with such be it in outskirt areas etc, they have a huge bill coming their way,” he said.