Mwenezi Rural District Council (Advertising) By-laws, 2024

Mwenezi Rural District Council has new advertising by-laws, approved by the Minister responsible for Local Government and Public Works. Anyone wanting to put up a poster, banner, placard, billboard or notice on a road or in a public place — stationary, on a wall, on a sandwich board, or on a vehicle parked for the purpose — now needs the council's written permission and must pay the advertisement fees the council sets by order.

There are exceptions. Normal business advertising painted on or fixed to an omnibus or commercial vehicle needs no permission, nor does a sandwich board or vehicle in transit between where it is kept and an approved display site, nor advertising already permitted under the Regional, Town and Country Planning (Advertisements) Regulations, 1976 or an approved local plan or scheme.

Some positions are banned outright: electricity standards, parking meter standards, trees, traffic signs, bridges, road furniture, traffic circles and traffic islands belonging to or controlled by the council. So are positions that create a hazard or obstruction for drivers or pedestrians, that are a nuisance to neighbours, or that the council has prohibited. Election material gets special treatment — the council may permit Zimbabwe Electoral Commission advertisements for elections and referendums on roadside trees and on portable boards where they cause no hazard.

Applications must be in writing setting out the advertisements, their number and intended location. The council may grant with conditions or refuse with reasons, may cap the number of signs on any property, and may revoke permission or change conditions at any time — after which the applicant must take the advertisements down. The council may charge an application fee and a deposit against the cost of removal.

Event advertising must come down within twenty-four hours of the event ending. The council may remove any advertisement erected without approval, not complying with the by-laws, dangerous to traffic, too brightly lit, projecting over a council street, or behind on its billboard fees. It must give twenty-four hours' written notice to remove or alter, and if the owner does not comply the council removes it and bills the owner for the cost. Content rules ban adverts that are immoral or offensive, likely to promote unlawful behaviour, likely to tarnish the council's image, or containing hate language, and adverts that exceed approved sizes, use unapproved materials or are uncertified.

One practical gap for readers: no fine amount appears anywhere. Every offence, including obstructing a council official, is punishable by "a fine specified in an order of council", so the amounts have to be obtained from the council. The by-laws are also headed [CAP. 29:15], the Urban Councils Act, although they are made under section 90 of the Rural District Councils Act [Chapter 29:13] — a citation slip in the printed instrument.