Blantyre City Council has urged all residents in the commercial capital to seek permission from the Council before fixing posters to walls, trees, streetlight poles, barricades and other structures.

The warning follows concern raised by the general public of the much publicized crusade of Reinard Bonnke to be held at Njamba Freedom Park starting from November 5-8, 2015 with posters placed everywhere in Blantyre.

In a statement signed by BCC Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr. Alfred W.D Chanza made available to FaceofMalawi, the Council has issued a 30 day notice to all residents of the City to remove all unpermitted advertisements from walls, trees, streetlight poles and any other structure.

According to the statement, the warning is in line with Section 45 of the Town and Country Planning Act.

“The Blantyre City Council has observed that some residents of Blantyre City are fixing posters to walls, trees, streetlight poles, barricades and other structures using glue and other strong adhesives without first seeking permission from the Council as it is required under Section 44 of the Town and Country Planning Act.

“Most of the posters and other types of unpermitted advertisements are cluttered and when removed, they leave hardened adhesives that are difficult to remove. The clutter caused by these unpermitted advertisements detracts from the built environment and the beauty of the City,” reads in part the statement.

The Council has since said that any new advertisement displayed in contravention of Section 44 of the Town and Country Act after issuance of this Notice, shall be immediately removed without further notice with costs.