Political parties were going all out while campaigning for the local government elections (LGE), but now that the elections are done and dusted, the time has come to clean the streets that are littered with election posters on poles and other areas.
Political parties across the country that contested in the elections have been warned to remove their posters or pay fines. The posters were supposed to have been removed shortly after the elections, but large numbers can still be found hanging on poles or other structures. "They no longer serve any purpose and are only littering our community. The political parties should clean up their mess," a resident of the Makhado Municipality said. According to him, politicians should adhere to the municipal bylaws and remove the posters.
In terms of the municipality's bylaws, the political parties who took part in the LGE are required to remove their posters within 14 days after the election day.
The provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo, Jacques Smalle, said that the party was complying with the bylaws. "The members are busy removing the posters, as we are required to do so by law," he said.
He further said that he had already issued an instruction to the members of the DA to remove the posters in time. "Our deadlines were set for this week Wednesday, knowing clearly that some candidates will fail in their duties. Should that be the case, the party will remove the outstanding posters," he said.
The spokesperson of the Makhado Local Municipality, Mr Louis Bobodi, said that political parties had been given 14 days to remove their posters after the elections. He further said that failing to remove the posters in time would result in fines for the political parties. "The party will be fined R1 000 per poster," he said. "We are also encouraging the political parties to remove the posters. In fact, we have relayed the message to the IEC to inform the political parties," he added.