Cape Town - The ANC’s threat of legal action against the City of Cape Town for introducing a new logo has been dismissed by the mayor’s office as a “transparent election gimmick”.
Mayoral spokesman Solly Malatsi said the DA-led city would consider responding once the papers had been received. But he emphasised that the ANC and other opposition parties were given a chance to object to the new logo and pay-off line when the recommendation was considered at last month’s full council meeting.
ANC provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile confirmed that the party’s lawyers were still drafting papers. Although the logo has been approved by the council and is in use, the ANC indicated at the meeting that it did not support the new corporate identity.
Mayor Patricia de Lille said then that the city had a mandate to go ahead with the rebranding, and that it would save taxpayers millions.
The associated costs of developing the new corporate identity, which has drawn mixed reaction since it was launched a fortnight ago, would be about R315 000.
The money would come from the existing budget of the city’s Integrated Strategic Communication and Branding Department.
The city awarded the R8 million contract for branding work to a joint venture of King James and Yellowwood Future Architects in December last year.
The ANC and other opposition parties have raised concerns about the appointment of Yellowwood, a firm that was involved in the communications contract for the Western Cape government in 2011.
Carol Avenant, now director of the city’s communication and branding department, formerly worked for Yellowwood.
Cape Argus