The City of Cape Town has told political parties and independent candidates to take down all election posters and swivel banners by 18 November, or pay for the City to do it.
The deadline and the cost
Posters and banners that are not removed by the deadline will be taken down by the City at the political parties' cost, city spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said. Parties and independent candidates will be charged R123.48 for every poster or banner the City removes.
What must come down
According to the City, parties are responsible for removing all of their campaign material, including the strings and plastic fasteners used to secure posters to poles and lamp posts. The City says parties were told the rules on election advertising before the 4 November local government elections, including that posters must be removed within 10 days of the vote.
What residents can do
Residents who see posters still up after the deadline can report them to the City through its usual service request channels. We have asked for no further detail on how reports will be handled, and the City has not said how many posters it expects to remove.
What we do not yet know
The City has not published the bylaw provisions it is relying on, or said whether the R123.48 charge applies per poster regardless of size. We will update this story once the City confirms.
