City Council Gets Tough on Graffiti

They were given the option to repaint the 500 metre wall at their own expense or face charges of malicious damage to property.

Councillor Owen Kinahan, ward councillor for Ward 58 in the southern suburbs, who is also a member of the City's Planning and Environment Portfolio Committee, caught the six and arranged that the South African Police Services arrest them.

According to Councillor Kinahan, the Portfolio Committee has made a number of strong recommendations to Council regarding the eradication of graffiti in the city. "Cape Town is getting grubbier by the day," he says

One of these is that owners of defaced buildings clean them up. "This applies particularly to the Council's own buildings and those belonging to the State or Metrorail.

"A tailor-made by-law is not needed as we have legislation in place prohibiting malicious damage to property. Law enforcement officials just need to be educated in the law and then apply it.

"There are other serious crimes such as hijacking and assault which occupy their full attention, but if a community declares its complacency with vandalism, it sends out a very strong message that it is soft on anti-social behaviour.

"It might be hard on private property owners to pay for someone else's misdemeanour, but their anger will generate a powerful energy to apprehend offenders. I strongly recommend that aggrieved property owners lay formal charges against offenders," he says.

The City's Communication and Marketing Department has been requested to initiate a strategy to inform the public, especially the youth, of the serious consequences of a conviction record. "It's a permanent black mark against your name and can affect a person's future prospects," he says.

He also suggests a strategy similar to that used by the anti-porn lobby some years ago. Communities then requested that sales outlets put potentially offensive literature on the top shelf or behind the counter to make it just a bit more difficult for children to access.

"I believe we should ask merchants who stock aerosol paints to co-operate in much the same way. It's essentially a social contract within a community that nobody can really object to. I hope that neighbourhoods won't even wait for the City to lead in this instance, but will take it upon themselves to work out something with their local hardware store or any other outlet," says Councillor Kinahan.

Issued by:
Charles Cooper
Media Liaison
Tel: 021 400 3719
Directorate: Communication and Marketing
City of Cape Town
Email: media@capetown.gov.za
Tel: 021 400 2201
Fax: 021 957 0023

Media queries:
Councillor Owen Kinahan
Ward 58
Tel: 021685 6284