Illegal tagging is an ongoing problem in the CBD, but thanks to the CCID’s tireless and tenacious Graffiti Squad, taggers don’t have the upper hand.
Graffiti removal in the City Centre is a key priority for the CCID, says Richard Beesley, head of the CCID’s Urban Management department. “We are pedantic about getting rid of graffiti in the CBD, and can successfully declare the Central City 'graffiti-free' every month,” he says.
“Graffiti tends to be seasonal, and its occurrence peaks between September and March, simply because summer is a more pleasant time to be outdoors at night, which is when the graffiti artists are at work,” Richard explains.
The CCID’s Graffiti Squad carries out cleaning operations twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, in eight-hour shifts. These operations are motivated by the “broken windows effect”, namely that visible signs of crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour give rise to an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder.
Says CCID precinct manager Carlisle Marankey: “Unsightly graffiti tags encourage other taggers to place their tags on the same, or different, surfaces. They also discourage visitors from going into an area where gang graffiti is found as it tends to make them feel unsafe.”
COSTLY CLEANING PROCESS
Cleaning graffiti is an involved process that requires a different approach, process and materials, depending on the nature and extent of the damage. “Care is always taken in the cleaning process because we don’t want to damage the surface, so we work as gently and as effectively as possible,” says Richard. He explains that in cases where the graffiti is on a white wall, the team will usually simply paint over it as this method works out to be cheaper and less time consuming than scrubbing it off with chemicals and a wire brush.
There are a number of factors that influence the complexity of the cleaning process. “Oil-based paint, for example, is more difficult to remove than aerosol paint, and irregular surfaces like corrugated metal doors, take longer to clean than smooth, flat surfaces,” Richard explains. Sometimes the graffiti is on hard-to-reach places, which calls for a scaffold and safety harness, which also adds to the time, cost and effort needed to recover the space affected. Vandals are also very fond of spraying electrical boxes and there are more than 50 electrical boxes in the areas that Richard and his team manage, which illustrates the extent of their efforts.
More than the organisational and physical effort of ridding the city of graffiti, the cost is significant, too. “Some of the chemicals cost as much as R7 500 for a 5-litre can, so it’s an expensive exercise to repeat,” says Richard.
ART OR VANDALISM?
Graffiti can be seen as a form of protest, a form of communication or a form of artistic expression. It begs the question: is it art or is it vandalism? Richard says you can call it whatever you like: it remains an illegal activity. “Unless the work was sanctioned by the owner of the building or property on which the graffiti work was done, it is treated as a form of defacing the urban environment and is, therefore, a crime.”
Richard says a lot of the graffiti in the CBD is a result of tagging by rival gangs wanting to mark their territory. Carlisle elaborates: “Gang tags are usually the name of the gang or an aggressive slogan to mark territory and keep a rival gang out. Gangs tags are typically not directed at the general public and they occur in locations where antisocial behaviour is a problem.”
Gang tags are generally easily distinguishable from other kinds of graffiti. The tag of the 28s gang is one of the most prolific and regularly seen across the city. Others include the marque HL and JFK for the Hard Livings and Junky Funky Kids, respectively.
The Urban Management department keeps a record of all the graffiti that is removed. This database offers useful insights into the prevalence of particular kinds of graffiti.
Richard encourages the public to report graffiti damage. “We can’t be everywhere all the time, so it helps us if it’s reported, then we know where the cleaning team is needed,” he says.
He and his squad remain committed to keeping the CBD graffiti-free. “You don’t clean once and then your work is done, because it keeps coming back. It’s crucial to keep doing it as it is known to deter crime. Graffiti is about degrading a space, and by implication making it an unsafe space. We clean it because we want people to feel safe in the city.”
IMAGES: CCID