The City of Mbombela (CoM) has appealed to all political parties to remove their election campaign posters from municipal infrastructure to restore the cleanliness of the streets.

CoM spokesperson Joseph Ngala said the council had approved a waiver allowing political parties to use municipal infrastructure to display election advertisements without being charged during the campaign period.

He clarified that there was no formal agreement with political parties regarding the removal of the posters. However, they were expected to take them down after the elections.

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Parties given seven days to clear boards

“The elections were declared on Sunday, and we are appealing to all political parties to remove their boards within the next seven days,” he said.

Ngala explained that the municipality could not impose fines on political parties because no deposits had been paid for the placement of the posters.

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“Due to the fact that no deposits were paid, it makes it impossible for us to impose fines. We are therefore appealing to political parties to remove their posters. Failing that, the municipality will have to remove them, using money that would ordinarily go towards service delivery,” he said.

Ngala acknowledged that many campaign posters had been erected along major roads, making parts of the city look untidy, adding that while some parties had already removed their boards and the municipality was grateful for that, it hoped others would follow suit.

He urged political parties to take responsibility for removing their campaign material within the stipulated period to help restore the city’s appearance.