Parties can be fined for failing to remove election posters

Political parties have 10 days after the elections to remove campaign posters, the City of Cape Town said on Tuesday (20/05/2014).

According to standard election rules parties had until last Saturday to remove the posters, city spokeswoman Priya Reddy said.

"However, after discussions, we have decided to give the parties a few extra days' grace to remove posters before we get our contractors to start removing them.

"We will start removing all election posters from Thursday 22nd May," she said.

If parties failed to do so in Cape Town they would be fined R88.40 per poster or R126.90 per pasted poster removed.

The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) said the removal was regulated by municipal by-laws.

"The IEC is not involved at all," spokeswoman Kate Bapela said.

The City of Johannesburg said it had been in consultation with various political parties regarding the posters.

"A penalty for illegal posters is R1000 per illegal poster," it said.

"According to the by-laws, there is a seven days' grace period to remove all political party posters."

However, the city council was yet to announce a final deadline for the removal of all election posters.

The eThekwini council in Durban gave parties three months to remove their posters. Failing this the municipality would remove them and claim R50 per poster, spokeswoman Tozi Mthethwa said. - Sapa