The City of Johannesburg has doubled down on its decision to remove a Solidarity banner that was erected along the M1 motorway, saying the action was strictly in line with its by-laws and had nothing to do with the upcoming G20 Summit.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the city said the banner had been put up unlawfully, with Solidarity failing to submit a formal application as required by the city’s outdoor advertising by-laws.
The Solidarity banner along M1 read: “Welcome to South Africa, the most race‑regulated country in the world.” It was a 70‑metre‑long orange billboard strategically placed to catch the attention of delegates arriving for the G20 Summit.
The city stressed that adherence to its by-laws was essential for orderly governance. “The city reaffirms its constitutional obligation to uphold the rule of law. No such application was submitted in relation to the banner in question. Instead, the banner was erected unlawfully, in direct contravention of the city’s by-laws. This is the sole reason for the banner’s removal,” city officials said in a statement.
Solidarity had launched an urgent application in the Gauteng High Court seeking reinstatement of the banner.
The city said to prevent lengthy litigation and save public resources, it proposed returning the banner to Solidarity, provided it is not reinstalled until the organisation complies with applicable by-laws.
“This pragmatic and sensible offer was rejected by Solidarity, and it further demanded a concession from the city that its conduct was unlawful. This proposal was categorically rejected by the city. After the city had filed its answering affidavit, which exposed a host of problems with Solidarity’s ill-advised application.
“Solidarity approached the city late on 17 November to conclude a settlement that the application be removed from the roll and the banner be collected from city’s offices. Solidarity also abandoned its baseless request that the city concede to unlawful conduct,” the statement read.
Sowetan
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