City of Johannesburg warns parties to remove election posters or pay R500 fine
Political parties and independent candidates face hefty municipal penalties if election materials are not cleared from street poles and intersections within 14 days.
The City of Johannesburg has warned political parties and independent candidates to remove campaign posters from streets, poles and public spaces across the metro or face removal fees.
In a statement issued recently, the city said all election materials must be completely cleared within the legally prescribed grace period so that municipal infrastructure remains free of clutter. Failure to comply will result in immediate removal by municipal teams, with the cost recovered from the responsible parties through prescribed penalty fees.
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The requirement is governed by the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality Outdoor Advertising By-laws of 2009, with Section 28 specifically regulating the display and removal of election materials.
Under the by-laws, parties and candidates are legally mandated to remove all campaign materials within 14 days following the conclusion of the election or voter registration period.
If posters remain after this period, the council will issue a formal notification giving the relevant party a specified timeframe to clear them. Should a party fail to comply with the final notice, the city’s metropolitan police department by-law unit will remove and collate the posters.
The city will then issue a prescribed penalty fee of R500 per poster directly to the non-compliant political party to recover the removal costs.
City officials stressed that leaving campaign materials up indefinitely constitutes public littering that makes the city unsightly, can compromise road safety by obstructing sightlines, and defaces municipal assets such as street poles and bridges.
Political parties have been urged to demonstrate civic responsibility by proactively cleaning up the public spaces they used during the election campaign rather than waiting for enforcement action.
Residents who spot remaining posters after the deadline are encouraged to report them through the city’s official channels so that the by-law unit can prioritise removal in high-traffic and residential areas, including Alexandra and surrounding neighbourhoods.
The city confirmed that enforcement teams are already monitoring compliance and will not hesitate to apply the full penalties where parties fail to act within the stipulated periods.
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