DURBAN, KwaZulu-Natal — The recent DA billboard removal in Durban has concluded a brief but intense political dispute after senior city officials threatened legal action over a controversial election campaign advert.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) unveiled the giant billboard along the N2 highway on Wednesday, claiming it was holding those responsible for the city’s water crisis accountable by putting faces to the problem. The advert featured pictures of Mayor Cyril Xaba, City Manager Musa Mbhele, and Water Head Ednick Msweli displayed next to the words: “You can stop the water tanker mafia.”
However, the trio was unimpressed by the campaign material. They dispatched a lawyer’s letter of demand to the DA, arguing that the billboard’s content was defamatory and wrongly implied they were involved in organized crime.
Following the legal threat, the billboard was taken down after just two days. eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Senzo Mzila welcomed the development, noting that the battle for the municipality has taken a new turn as the election tide rises.
“While robust political debate is a vital part of our democracy, it must never cross the line into personal defamation or attempt to undermine the dignity of officials serving the city,” Mzila stated, adding that the municipality appreciates the removal of the advert that targeted both political leadership and senior administration.
The takedown comes despite the DA’s initial vow that the billboard would not come down. The party maintained that the officials had failed to prevent the water crisis, insisting that the “water tanker mafia” was making millions off taxpayer money while residents’ taps ran dry.
Less than 48 hours after launching the accountability billboard, the DA expressed frustration over its removal, stating, “There are clearly people in our city who don’t want us to expose the truth.”
Despite the political party’s claims of a cover-up, it is believed the billboard was ultimately brought down because the property owner requested its removal after allegedly being harassed.