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The City of Johannesburg, led by its ANC MMC for Economic Development, has unlawfully removed an ActionSA billboard in Diepkloof, Soweto in Johannesburg.

It is clear that these billboards, and ActionSA’s Joburg Campaign, featuring Herman Mashaba and the words “Let’s Do It Again” are a threat to the ANC as a dying party in Johannesburg being rejected across the city for its prolific failures that have driven the city into the ground.

The fact that this event was led by an ANC MMC, and not municipal officials, is a clear demonstration of what was the driving decision behind this removal. It has further been established that the ANC ward councillor of the area has been the chief protagonist behind the campaign to remove the billboard.

ActionSA is investigating the compliance of the billboard site in terms of city regulations, which owned by a private company with whom a 3rd party media buyer secured the space. However, it must be pointed out that this actually does not matter. The courts have explicitly and repeatedly ruled that the city cannot remove billboards without a valid court order obtained by the city, and it was verified today that no such court order was obtained in relation to this billboard.

It is further worth noting that the removal and damaging of election materials, including billboards, is a criminal offence in terms of the provisions of the Municipal Electoral Act, carrying a sentence of a fine or 10 years imprisonment, and a breach of the IEC Code of Conduct. These latter legal components are important because the billboard was maliciously damaged in its removal.

ActionSA is engaging its legal teams to determine an appropriate response including but not limited to an urgent Spoliation Order, criminal charges in terms of the Municipal Electoral Act and a complaint to the IEC in relation to the Code of Conduct.

It is evident that the ANC is panicking in Johannesburg as their candidates rediscover the ground and find their supporters have left their party in droves to join parties like ActionSA. While Herman Mashaba can campaign on a record of unprecedented success in Joburg and invite residents to “Let’s Do It Again”, Dada Morero’s record in Joburg is a horror movie most residents want to tune out of.

ActionSA will not abide a situation where laws are broken by politically driven actions by the city in order to stifle political alternatives at a time when Joburg residents are seeking them urgently.

Issued by ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont