Joburg metro cops removing our election posters - EFF

12 July 2016

Johannesburg - The Economic Freedom Fighters claimed on Tuesday that Johannesburg Metro Police Department officers, under the instructions of the ANC, had been removing the party’s poster in the city.

“These are acts of political cowardice and intolerance that belong to the past," EFF elections spokesperson Veronica Mente said.

"The JMPD has targeted EFF posters throughout this local government campaign, in particular its banners across the city.

"If the ANC is not disrupting EFF meetings...  it is removing our posters with its JMPD."

However, JMPD spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said this was not true, and that the JMPD was targeting all party banners that were put up where they were not supposed to be.

"JMPD officers have removed many banners which belong to various political parties, which were hung on poles, bridges and fences,” Minnaar said.

Minnaar said posters may only be put on lamp posts.

He said the JMPD had no intention to be malicious towards any political party.

"Officers would only perform their duty if political adverts do not comply with the city's by-law requirements," Minnaar said.

ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the EFF's statement was a publicity stunt and that the party was acting like "media superstars".

"If these allegations were true, the EFF would have reported it to the IEC, but it is not true," Kodwa said.

He said claims that the JMPD was working for the ANC were false.

The EFF said they had taken a decision to report these acts to the Electoral Court, specifically asking that the ANC be banned from standing for elections in Johannesburg.

"Removal of posters constitutes a violation of the freeness and fairness of the campaign," the EFF said.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.