SOUTH AFRICA: A PROLIFERATION OF ILLEGAL POSTERS (ADVERTISING) AND UNSIGHTLY GUERILLA STYLE ADVERTS ARE STUCK ON ALL SORTS OF PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, WRITES DIRECTOR JUSTIN JONES. [1] Numbers of advertisements advertise the sale of quick abortions.
Preying on the poor, desperate and marginalised
Director Jones notes that "you cannot drive anywhere in a South African city these days without seeing illegal posters selling prophets, potions . . . Then there are the also the ones that are selling things like "quick abortions" ... which are inevitably done by unlicensed practitioners in unsafe conditions. "
"When the various posters are analysed, it becomes noticeably clear as to why the originator or owner uses the illegal (guerilla type) approach to advertise.
The practices they are advertising are normally illegal, and they are preying on the poor, the desperate and the marginalised." [1]
Director Jones proposes to make this a public issue that gets brought to the attention of the cellphone companies via the press and ask citizens to participate to stop this illegal practice.
"All the cellphone companies will have their ESG (environmental, society and governance) claims and should have ESG metrics, which are meaningless if they aid and abet such gross violations, such as illegal posters, stickers, and outdoor advertising.
Each illegal poster has a cellphone number for unsuspecting people to call, so the plan is to invite citizens to send a photo of any illegal poster, stuck on public infrastructure near them, to a shared number for the respective cellphone company to de-activate the cellphone number from service.
This way the perpetrators would think twice before going to the length of printing posters and sticking them on public infrastructure, which is against the city's by-laws..."
Director Jones posits that "various cellphone companies can make the necessary facility and resources available to effectuate the deactivation of the cellphone numbers of the many illegal posters as these get sent daily to the various cellphone companies for the cell-phone numbers displayed on the posters to be permanently removed from the cellphone network." Director Jones considers that eventually the message will get through that those who transgress will be wasting money by printing and sticking illegal posters in public.
Possible SCI project
Director Jones believes this could be a CSI (corporate social investment) project that assists all South African cities restore the value of the public realm and deliver the goods that come from such a CSI project.
Illegal abortions carry dangers
Many in South Africa recount events regarding young girls and women who suffer injury or death after illegal abortions. Devastated parents deal with resultant trauma or funerals of their beloved daughters. Families are left bereft of mothers, aunts, sisters, daughters. Orphaned families struggle along after their breadwinner has died after an illegal abortion.
Illegal abortion advertisements
South Africans are faced daily with illegal abortion advertising and the provider telephone number placed on areas such as street lamps and public infrastructure.
The question which faces the person on the street is: what can be done about the proliferation of illegal abortion advertisements which appear to flourish throughout the country? Director Jones has proposed an avenue to deal with such illegal advertisements.
IN THE SPIRIT OF LUMIERE, IS THERE
ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP?
[1] The Citizen. Justin Jones. Think Piece, Wednesday 9 March 2022. "Litmus test for councils. Outdoor adverts: need for purposeful use of public space." Page 9
With thanks to The Citizen
