While some might appreciate the aesthetic value of murals found on building walls, the incomprehensible symbols and illegal posters plastered on signboards, light poles and buildings throughout Joburg have become an eyesore.
The Johannesburg Roads Agency said the widespread graffiti was a problem for the City.
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Bertha Scheepers-Peters the “uncontrolled and flagrant” pasting of illegal advertising and spraying of graffiti on road signs were ongoing problems.
The agency has now implemented the Adopt a Signal, sign, spot, road or facility initiative to monitor this type of vandalism. Through the initiative, members of the public and corporates could “adopt” a facility and report on its condition.
The entity was also working with the Johannesburg Metro Police’s Bylaws Enforcement Unit to apprehend those responsible for the vandalism.
Occasionally, the agency and Metro police remove illegal posters and graffiti from different spots within Joburg. However, clean-up efforts which the agency and Metro police undertake “from time to time” seem to make little impact on the extent of vandalism throughout the city.
Douglasdale Sector 4 Community Policing Forum chairperson, David Foley said residents had begun their own clean-up drives, removing illegal posters from the suburb after they continued to build up. He said the Metro police had assisted the community during planned clean-up events, however the problem was not policed on a regular basis.
According to Foley, the Metro police were supposed to remove illegal posters, trace the culprits and issue them with fines, but that this was not being done on a daily basis, causing the problem to escalate.
Meanwhile, the roads agency has urged the public to report all acts of vandalism and theft of City’s assets to the police, Metro police or the City of Johannesburg’s call centre on 0860 562 874.
