The billboards and the display of advertisements by-laws, which are outlined by the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE), require that outdoor advertising be approved by the municipality before being placed.
Outdoor advertising in the city without the necessary approval is a common sight. Some of these could be harmful to the environment, the general people, and property.
This is according to the spokesperson of the CoE, Zweli Dlamini, who said that the city has established a procedure to evaluate all non-compliant outdoor advertising structures erected on council-owned properties or within road reserves under its jurisdiction to ensure compliance.
“This will rectify the situation and ensure that by-laws are upheld.
“To this end, owners of illegal outdoor advertising erected on council properties or within road reserves under the local authority’s jurisdiction will be contacted so that they can be assisted to obtain municipal approval of compliance with the by-laws, and the conclusion of a formal lease agreement with the CoE in respect of the advertising signs,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini said that to speed up this procedure and manage new application requests, they have appointed a contractor.
The city also urges owners of unauthorised outdoor advertising signs to cooperate when approached by representatives of the designated service provider so that the procedure can go smoothly.
The city may impose penalties for violations of the bylaws and/or rules.
“Any party may use the designated service provider or submit their application directly to the city if they wish to apply for a new outdoor advertising sign or legitimise their current illegal advertising signs on municipal property or within road reserves under its authority.
“A positive outcome of their applications cannot be guaranteed as that will depend on the compliance with the city’s by-laws prescripts. As a city, we are looking forward to full cooperation from our stakeholders in ensuring that we do things by the book.”
In the interim, anyone who needs help with their application(s) can get in touch with the appointed contractor, SAH Development Managers, by calling Brendan Vandayar on 082 494 5507, 010 020 6775 or at brendon.vandayar@sah.co.za
The following regional control officers are available to help with any inquiries regarding requests for technical compliance with the billboards and the display of advertisements by-laws: Lethabo Shebu on 011 999 3691 or at Lethabo.Shebu@ekurhuleni.gov.za or Susan Wilson on 011 999 0974 or at Susan.Wilson@ekurhuleni.gov.za
Outdoor advertising lease-related queries in respect of advertising signage erected on the municipal property may be directed to Cheryl du Toit of the Real Estate Department’s outdoor advertising section on 011 999 3683 or Cheryl.DuToit@ekurhuleni.gov.za
