As the country continues to show solidarity and support for Palestine, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) found itself in hot water after its workers painted over a Palestinian flag mural in Lavender Hill.
According to a video that has gone viral on social media, CoCT workers can be seen painting over the mural, with law enforcement officers nearby.
The person that originally posted the video, social and financial commentator Moeshfieka Botha said in her post said: “They can send law enforcement to protect CoCT workers who paint over a Palestinian Flag on one of the Flats.
“But they cannot send them to ORDINARILY paint the Flats to keep them CLEAN or send law enforcement to PROTECT the people. They will leave the gangsters graffiti! But they want the Palestine flag down.”
Many echoed her sentiments, with several bringing up freedom of expression.
While the City did not respond to the matter of freedom of expression, they said: “Community members responsible for the mural have agreed to apply for permission to have the mural reinstalled following an engagement with Graffiti Unit officials this morning.”
They further explained: “This is a public building consisting of Council-owned affordable rental units.
“In general, the process by which a recognised artist or organisation commissioned to produce artwork applies for a Public Art Permit is outlined in Section 9 of the City's Graffiti by-law of 2010, which can be accessed here.”
The first thing outlined in Section 9 of the City’s Graffiti by-law titled ‘Permits for art work and decorations’ is the following:
– Any person who intends applying a mural or any one of or a combination of any inscription, word, figure, letter, sign, symbol, sketch, picture, drawing or design to any natural surface or man-made surface on any property, which will be visible to a person from a public place, must apply in writing to the authorised official for a permit to do so.
However, people have raised the question of graffiti, gang signs and names still being on public buildings seeing as these are often “combination of any inscription, word, figure, letter, sign, symbol, sketch, picture, drawing or design” as mentioned in the by-law.
The City of Cape Town has not made further comment on the issue.
IOL News