Volunteers needed to help remove illegal signs and advertisements

Susan Mottram, Chair - Douglasdale Sector 4 CPF writes:

There has been a sudden rash of illegal advertisements in Douglasdale-Fourways. Illegal signs are being attached to lamp posts, traffic lights and residential walls, particularly for painters, builders, fridge repairs and auctions.

It must have something to do with the blooming of spring and everyone coming out of hibernation! We are also seeing more of the mobile billboards being parked on pavements and road reserves – also illegal. For the Sector 4 Community Police Forum, this constitutes littering and adds to the woes of crime and grime in our suburbs.

As you know, Peter Tuerk, a Douglasdale resident, volunteered for the unpopular task of removing these illegal signs and, where advertisers continue to erect a sign, report the contraveners to JMPD, who then apply the law. However, Peter is struggling to manage this massive task on his own.

He needs people from the community to step forward and commit to this task, to form a team with him. In addition to a committed team working on this permanently, we could also do with concerned members of the public removing these signs on an ad hoc basis. We are all within our rights and within the law when removing illegal signs.

All council-approved, legal signs bear a registration number (don’t take those down). Those that are illegal are those that do not bear this number. You are also within the law to phone the number of the advertiser on the parked billboard and inform them of the legal standing and, if necessary, report this to JMPD. Peter always phones the advertiser first to give him/her a chance to remove the sign, advertisement or billboard.

To support this volunteer work on a permanent basis, please contact Peter Tuerk on 082-442-9095 or at hohner@hot.co.za
You may also report the location of illegal signs (including mobile billboards that are stationary) via sms to Peter.