Posters and banners in George

GEORGE NEWS - It is illegal to put up posters in the George municipal jurisdiction without prior permission of the municipality.

Organisations and individuals alike should take note that there is an application process and deposits, and fees are payable.

All requirements in the by-law need to be met and will be strictly enforced. Posters that are erected illegally will be removed and destroyed.

Permission for the erection of posters on lamp posts is granted to the following:

individuals erecting posters for municipal and/or parliamentary elections and meetings;
political parties and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to erect posters during the official IEC voter registration week/weekends;
any institution that holds sports events on a provincial, national or international level;
an institution that organises festivals that receive financial support from Council.

This is in accordance with the regulation regarding advertisement signs and the defacement of the façade on the forefront of streets (PK 565/1958) and the standard by-law regarding streets (PK 565/1987).

Poster rules

• Only one poster per event may be displayed on a lamp post with the understanding that two posters may be positioned back-to-back. These posters may be positioned two weeks before an event and may only be fixed to the lamp posts by means of using rope or a similar material. No adhesive material may be used for this purpose. A maximum of 100 posters may be displayed in instances where sports events and festivals are taking place.

• Posters must be removed on or before the fourth weekday after the event.

• Wording of the poster must be factual and may not offend any person, race or belief. The municipality also retains the right to remove any poster without providing explanation, where such poster hinders the visibility of any traffic sign or if management deems it ineligible for a poster to be displayed at a specific location.

• Should an individual/organisation neglect to remove all posters that they have displayed, they will forfeit the deposit or a part thereof, depending on the costs involved in the removal of said posters. The poster or the artwork must be submitted via the Tourism Department for approval within a reasonable time before it is displayed or erected.

• The official stamp must be affixed on each of the approved posters once the applicable fees are paid.

Banner rules

Banners can only be applied at five specific municipal sites, namely York Street (from Pacaltsdorp before train bridge and on left side); Langenhoven Road, Knysna Road, Nelson Mandela Boulevard (previously Sandkraal Road, from Thembalethu in front of Santa fence) and Unity Park in York Street.

• The banner sites must be pre-booked with a deposit paid.

• They may be a maximum size of 3,5m x 1m, and no political, liquor or cigarette advertisement with offensive wording on banners will be allowed.

• Banners may only be up for a period of two weeks and must be removed by the applicant.

Handing out of flyers

The distribution of pamphlets/flyers at traffic intersections and on public roads is not permitted in terms of National Road Traffic Act 92 of 1996, Section 319 as well as the municipal by-law relating to roads and streets.

Municipal logo

The public, business and organisations are further advised that the George municipal logo and crest are registered as the intellectual property of the George Municipality, and as such can only be used by the George Municipality for official purposes, unless otherwise authorised by Council.

No business, organisation and/or individual has the right to use the George municipal logo in any social or printed media, and/or including any marketing items such as caps, T-shirts, banners, posters and flyers.

Where a business, organisation or individual is collaborating with a municipal department on a project, prior approval must always be requested before using the municipal logo in any format.

This will be granted on condition that the project and/or event is endorsed by the municipality officially, and that the product or marketing material that is produced is in good taste, not offensive and adheres to the guidelines as set out by the George Municipal Corporate Identity Manual.