Illegal advertising is out of control
JOBURG - Driving around Joburg, it is hard to miss all the illegal adverts along the roads.
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Not only adverts promising larger man parts and the return of lost lovers, but also adverts from larger and more reputable companies. It is astonishing to note that these companies don’t seem to care about the bylaws of Joburg – or the fact that their large trailer, advertising who knows what, is blocking the line of sight one needs when driving.
No, these companies, simply put, do not care.
In Douglasdale, someone has slashed through a few trailer adverts along Douglas Drive. To this person – whoever they may be – I applaud you. It is about time that these companies, which have a blatant disrespect for others, pay.
The sad fact is, there are not many repercussions for advertising illegally, and the risk of getting caught is reasonably low. Metro police, ward councillors and resident associations have bigger fish to fry and don’t have the time to track down every Tom, Dick and Harry that places an advertising trailer or poster on the side of the road.
Every couple of months, resident associations do a mass clean-up of their areas and this often entails removing illegally placed adverts. While it is fantastic that there are people who are willing to take time out of their day to do this – the sad truth is that no sooner have the adverts come down, new ones are put up.
Estate agents, DJs, restaurants, discount centres and the like – there are so many companies and individuals who are guilty of advertising illegally.
To these companies and individuals, I say shame on you. Shame on you for spoiling the beautiful suburbs of Joburg.