Natalie Nyathi,
Business Reporter
Bulawayo City Council (BCC), has drawn up a new by-law which prohibits free advertising on the city’s public spaces, with perpetrators facing up to three months imprisonment or a fine.
Citizens are expected to seek authority from the council before pasting adverts on public spaces such as poles and trees states the new by- law.
Zim GBC News established this through City Council’s chamber minutes.
According to the Oxford dictionary, by-laws are rules or laws governing the internal affairs of an organisation. They are commonly known as a set of rules established by an organisation so as to regulate itself as allowed or provided by some higher authority.
A council has the power to make by-laws.
The Council has been granted power by the new law to remove the adverts if deemed inappropriate.
The new by-law provides a provision for exemptions when it comes to information on electoral issues.
Minister of Local Government and Public Works Hon. July Moyo approved the local authority’s 2022 Advertising By-laws which among other things criminalises the posting of advertorial materials in public quads.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and political parties will be required to first seek permission from council before putting political materials in public spaces within the city.
The minutes read:
“It is hereby notified that the Minister of Local Government, Public Works has, in terms of section 229 of the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15], approved the following by-laws made by the City of Bulawayo: These by-laws may be cited as the Advertising By-laws, 2022
No person shall, without the permission of the council, place, exhibit or display, or cause to be placed, exhibited or displayed, upon a road or public place any advertisement, whether— a) in a stationary position; or b) building or perimeter wall; or c) on a sandwich board, vehicle, or other movable device”
“No person shall display an advert that-is (a) is immoral or offensive; (b) is likely to promote unlawful behaviour; (c) is likely to tarnish the image of the council and (d) contains hate language,” read the minutes.
BCC also said:
“Any person who obstructs an authorised official to exercise his or her duties and contravenes these by-laws shall be guilty of an offense and liable to a fine not exceeding level four and imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months or both such fine and imprisonment,”
Under the new by-law the council has the power to restrict the period to paste the advert, if it deems necessary.