Pinetown resident tackles illegal signage
With an increase in the number of illegal signs being erected, a Pinetown resident has appealed to individuals and companies to seek the correct ways of advertising their businesses.
PINETOWN resident Zane Welensky has taken it upon himself to remove illegal posters pasted on poles and light intersections on the roads around the Pinetown CBD.
Welensky, who is a Pinetown Tidy Town committee member, said the posters make the place look horrible.
Pinetown Tidy Town was started to turn the tide on litter and to restore pride in Pinetown’s residential areas, and especially in the business sector.
Also read: Volunteers keep environment clean by picking up trash at Blue Lagoon
Welensky emphasises that litter is just not good for our mental health.
“The illegal signage not only gives the area an unkempt look but also encourages other illegal signage. It is also unfair to the businesses that use legal processes.”
He said he always removes these posters, but within a few days, they are back.
“What’s worse, there are some very inappropriate ones pasted next to schools. Pinetown is one of the biggest business hubs [in eThekwini], and this just chases customers away. Businesses will end up moving, and people will lose their jobs. As citizens, we should always practise being clean. It is everyone’s responsibility to keep their surroundings clean.”
The resident said he does not understand why unemployed people are trying to get jobs or customers by putting up these posters.
“There are the correct ways of doing things. Social media is one of the best ways to advertise,” he said.
eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the municipality is aware of the issue regarding posters being pasted and distributed around the city illegally as this has been an ongoing problem for years.
Also read: Ratepayers’ association clean up New Germany
“The penis enlargement posters and safe abortion stickers are removed by the staff, but we find that a day after removal, they are put up again. This is usually done during the later hours, and they are never in the same place. Predicting where the culprits will act is impossible,” she said.
According to Sisilana, the municipality has conducted joint operations with metro police and the South African Police Services to arrest bogus doctors conducting illegal abortions in the city, who are using these illegal posters to advertise themselves.
“Awareness campaigns are conducted to educate the public about the dangers of using bogus doctors. It is very difficult to establish who the culprits are as they employ ‘runners’ who work for them,” said Sisilana.
She added that in terms of lawfully advertising, companies or individuals who seek to advertise around the city should seek approval first by visiting the Advertising and Finance Unit at 166 KE Masinga Road, City Engineers Building.
For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel.
