By Levy Masiteng
Johannesburg municipal officials have launched a citywide enforcement drive against illegal outdoor advertising, removing unauthorised banners, billboards and advertising trailers that the city says can obstruct roadways and create safety risks.
The compliance operation, underway this week, has focused on public-facing structures erected without the required approvals, including outward-facing signage on private property, billboards and mobile advertising trailers.
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The city said stricter enforcement of its outdoor advertising rules helped lift revenue from lawful advertising to about R50 million in 2025, up from about R5 million in 2024, but that illegal and non-compliant advertising continued to undermine collections.
“Compliance could generate an estimated R300 million annually. This revenue plays a paramount role in sustaining essential municipal services, including electricity, roads, and water,” the city said in a statement.
City Manager Floyd Brink said illegal advertising was not only a regulatory issue but a safety concern. “The illegal outdoor advertising landscape in Johannesburg is not just a compliance issue; it directly affects the safety and well-being of our residents,” Brink said.
“We are committed to enforcing our municipal by-laws and protecting our city’s integrity. This operation is just the beginning of our efforts to restore order and generate vital revenue that our city deserves,” he said.
The city’s latest enforcement push follows a prior high-profile squabble over unauthorised signage during the run-up to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in mid-November.
At the time, trade union Solidarity erected a large banner along the M1 reading: “Welcome to the most race-regulated country in the world.”
Solidarity said it was part of a G20 public-interest advocacy campaign. The city removed the banner, saying it was installed on city-owned property without an application or approval as required by its outdoor advertising by-laws, and denied that the summit or political pressure played any role in the decision.
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