The City of Ekurhuleni has commented on the recently shared dispute of councillors over illegal billboards in Bedfordview and Edenvale.
The NEWS reported in the October 10 edition that Ward 20 Clr Jill Humphreys and Ward 18 Clr Heather Hart have reported numerous cases where billboards do not comply with the by-laws.
The billboard on Smith Road in Bedfordview is one of those cases.
Also read: Councillor questions approved billboards
City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) spokesperson Themba Gadebe said that ward councillors’ comment is taken into consideration when evaluating an application for a billboard.
“If the councillors’ comments are negative and contrary to the by-law, a memorandum is written to the councillor indicating the contradiction,” said Gadebe.
He said that an approval of outdoor advertising is a vigorous process where various committees ensure that approvals are lawful.
Concerning the contravening Smith Road billboard, Gadebe said, “Section 16 (7) of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality Billboards and the Display of Advertisements By-Law (2017) allows the horizontal clearance to be reduced to 2.5m and that should be done and the structure must be protected by a guardrail.”
“The median in question is more than 2.5m wide hence the applicant was not required to erect a guardrail,” said Gadebe.
Also read: CoE evaluates billboard applications
Gadebe said that billboards generate revenue to CoE in a form of application fees and rental fees.
He said that this adds financing to budget to provide services, create job opportunities and creates economic growth.
“If there is an application known to have been approved contrary to the by-laws, please refer it to the city for investigation,” said Gadebe.
