Potchefstroom will pay a reward to anybody positively identifying people who vandalise traffic signs or street-name signs, the municipality said on Thursday.
Municipal spokesperson Kaizer Mohau said the reward was 10% of the value of the property, with a minimum of R50 and a maximum of R500.
It was payable ”for the positive identification of the perpetrator and/or a successful arrest and/or the recovering of the damages and/or the successful settlement of the matter to the satisfaction of council,” a municipal council statement read.
Mohau said the fine for damaging, removing or displacing of road signs was also increased to R2 500.
The council’s decision follows a spate of incidents in which road-traffic signs, street names and information boards in the city were damaged, removed or displaced.
Potchefstroom is currently in a name-change process, which does not sit well with some residents.
The council said earlier that many signs, up to 60% of the new names, had been removed of damaged since the process started.
Four students had already appeared in court accused of removing street signs.
The mayor’s office also received a threatening letter that demanded all name-change procedures be reversed.
A street sign for ”Nelson Mandela Rylaan” had also been defaced to read ”Dela Rylaan” — an apparent reference to Anglo-Boer War general Koos de la Rey.
Mohau said the damage to road signs was an additional financial burden for the council and was effecting service delivery negatively.
”Emergency vehicles are unable to reach addresses due to the removal of street names and the removal of traffic signs has already led to numerous motor vehicle accidents,” he said.
The public can report incidents at 018 299 5347. — Sapa