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Event Organisers, Business Sector Reminded To Seek Permission For Outdoor Advertising

The Municipal Council of Manzini takes this opportunity to remind event organisers, the business sector and all other citizens that permission is required to put up any form of outdoor advertising in the city. Anyone putting up a poster, banner or even a billboard without the Municipality’s permission commits an offence. The procedure is that one needs to first submit an application to the Municipality, pay the requisite fees (E350 for 10 posters per week and E75 per week for every 10 posters thereafter as well as E220 per banner per week), get the advertising material stamped with the Municipality’s stamp and thereafter put it up. It is also important to mention that the advertiser is not permitted to put up the advertising material anywhere they feel like but the site must be approved by the Municipality. Pasting advertising material on electricity poles, power kiosks, traffic light and street lighting poles is not permitted. Same with walls of buildings; as such degrades the city’s aesthetics. With effect from the 1^st October 2022, the Municipality will embark on a clean-up exercise wherein it will be removing unauthorised outdoor advertising material that do not have written permission from the Municipality. Going forward, anyone who illegally puts up any form of outdoor advertising in the public space without permission will be taken to task. The violation fee is E1,000. The Municipality further reminds those who have been granted permission to put up posters or banners in the city that it is their responsibility to remove them soon after the permitted timeline.

…CONTACT SUPER SIGNS FOR DIRECTIONAL SIGNS, STREET POLE ADVERTISING

Citizens and the general members of the public are notified that the Municipal Council of Manzini has outsourced to Super signs (Pty) Ltd services relating to outdoor advertising; in particular directional signage, illuminated street names and street lamp post advertising within the Manzini urban area. The company may be contacted on 2518 8461 for enquiries.

…CITY’S SUPPLEMENTARY VALUATION ONGOING

Once in every five years, as directed by the Rating Act, 1995, the Municipal Council of Manzini conducts a general valuation wherein it assesses the values of all properties in the city. Within the five-year period a supplementary valuation is conducted on properties that qualify for such an exercise. The supplementary valuation is meant for determining the value of new properties that were not existent during the time of the general valuation as well as alterations that may have been effected on properties. Alterations include subdivisions, consolidations and other changes. The Municipality, therefore, wishes to notify Manzini urban area property owners that the supplementary valuation exercise is already underway; having commenced this month and will run until December 2022. Professional property valuers, Phoenix Property Consultant, have been contracted to conduct the exercise. Property owners are requested to cooperate with the valuers and grant them access to their properties for purposes of the valuation exercise. The valuers are identifiable by name tags that, amongst other features, bear their picture, names and Municipality’s logo. They also carry with them a letter, under the Municipality’s official letterheads, that introduces them and also narrates the purpose of their visit to the properties. In the event one needs confirmation that they are indeed the valuers, the Municipality may be contacted on 2508 5000 or 7903 8830/7603 8830. Owners of the affected properties will be notified before the visit by the valuer.

…MUNICIPALITY SUCCESSFULLY HOSTS YOUTH BUSINESS CONSULTATION

The Municipal Council of Manzini last week Tuesday successfully hosted a youth business consultation meeting. The meeting was joined by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), Small Enterprises Development Company (SEDCO), ESERPAC, and Royal Science Innovation and Technology Park. The Municipality is in the process of establishing a Youth Chamber of Commerce in the City of Manzini; the objective being business empowerment of young people. A number of sentiments were shared by the youth regarding their challenges and these will help the Municipality develop a solid business empowerment programme as part of the chamber of commerce. The following photos were taken during the event…