uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, holds up one of his posters that was torn into pieces.
THERE has been widespread vandalism and theft of political posters and placards in uMhlanga and Durban North. Posters, including those of the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance, continue to be vandalised in some parts of area.
Allison Govender, who is the ANC candidate for uMhlanga said vandals had stuck semi-naked women over his face and in one case, a picture of Tarzan and Jane had been pasted on his face.
“This is a gross violation of the Electoral Act. The party will be reporting this matter to the IEC and use of the cities CCTV cameras will be used to ascertain who is responsible for these acts of vandalism. The culprits responsible for these acts of vandalism, only tell us that they are against democracy and are racist people, that wish to remain in an Apartheid era,” he said.
This ANC poster had a picture of Tarzan and Jane pasted over Allison Govender’s election poster.
“It’s at a major cost to political parties. In my case, more than 100 of mine and Shaun Ryley’s posters have either gone missing or been torn down. I’ve found some of my posters in absolute pieces and often times they are quite high up, so people are scaling the pole or using a ladder to remove them. We will also be approaching the IEC because this cannot go on. Political parties should have the right to campaign freely without this sort of vandalism,” he said.
While many of the posters on street poles have been torn down, power parastatal, Eskom recently warned political parties of the dangers associated with putting up election posters on electrical structures.
“These structures are carrying live electrical equipment and conductors. Only authorised personnel are allowed to climb or work on these structures. Attaching posters to an electrical structure is not only a contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, but also puts the lives of your valuable employees and volunteers at risk.
“Should someone come into contact with electricity while attaching posters to electrical structures, you will be exposed to litigation, both from a criminal and civil liability point of view,” Khulu Pasiwe, spokesman for Eskom said.
