The Sol Plaatje Municipality in Kimberley says damaged street poles and lamp poles will be replaced, as well as damaged electrical kiosks. All signboards owned by the municipality or privately owned will be audited and illegally erected private sign boards removed.
This follows comments from Sharon Steyn, the chief executive officer of the Northern Cape Business Chamber (Nocci). She recently posted pictures to accompany her social media post lamenting the decaying state of Kimberley.
She says Kimberley is a city that “we love and want to invest in. Why would investors want to invest, or people relocate here. Look at the knocked-over lamp and street poles, potholes, fly-tipping, water and sewage leaks, and overgrown verges.
“Some poles are knocked down in accidents and there are six main areas where the traffic lights have not been working for over five months.
“The municipal traffic department do not realise the hazard of poles lying on pavements. Many streetlights are not working.”
In Oliver Road, in front of the Diamond Pavilion Shopping Mall are five bent lamp and street poles in a 100 m stretch, as well as a rusted electrical box and exposed wires (kiosk) at a traffic light.
Thabo Mothibi, municipal spokesperson, says they have a programme to replace all knocked down street lights.
“The contract for the supply and delivery of materials was awarded late in 2023 after the replacement of poles programme was delayed. The kiosk (at the mentioned traffic light in Oliver Road) will also be repaired. We do have an Operations and Maintenance Budget.
Damaged municipal erected sign boards are going to be replaced and damaged ones to be disposed. The process to remove damaged poles will be done within a week once the ownership audit has been completed, where after a procurement process to replace them will start.
The municipality is conducting an audit of all signage’s within the city which are erected and owned by the municipal and privately owned and erected.
Written application needed
Section 3 of the advertising signs by-law of 2006 stipulates the submission and approval of application to display signboards regulations in terms of signage for public: Every person intending to display a new signboard or to alter or to add to an existing sign, hereinafter referred to as the applicant shall make written application to the municipality in the form prescribed in the schedule to this by-laws.
“The municipality has also noted that there are private businesses/institutions that erect sign boards without following proper procedures as per our Municipal Outdoor Advertising Signs By-Law of 2006.
“Privately owned signs that were erected by private business either illegal/ legal but damaged will be removed by the municipality and letters of notification will be issued to the owners of the signs,” Mothibi says.
