NELSPRUIT – All three political parties represented in the Mpumalanga Legislature claim their election posters have been vandalised.
Municipal by-laws allow for up to three election posters to be put up on each street pole during election time, but last week the ANC, DA and COPE complained that their posters were being vandalised, tampered with or removed from poles and sometimes replaced with those of other parties.
Mr Riot Hlatshwayo, head of communications for COPE Mpumalanga, said its leadership had busted a man wearing another party’s shirt removing COPE posters on Monday and replacing them with those of another party along the R40.
Mr Sibusiso Themba, spokesman for the provincial ANC, said the party had also found its posters on the ground where they have been removed from poles.
“No political party owns street poles,” he said. “As political parties put up posters they should leave space for others to put up theirs. It is unacceptable for any political party to put up three to four on one pole and not leave room for other political parties.”
Both Hlatshwayo and Themba said their parties had reported such cases to the police. Mr Bosman Grobler, provincial legislature candidate for the DA, even offered a R5 000 reward to any person who can provide the party with photographic or video evidence of individuals purposely vandalising, removing or tampering with election posters across the province. Enquiries: 013-766-1368 or datipoff@gmail.com
