Illegal outdoor advertising will now be classified as a serious crime, in the same category as building hijackings.
Jack Sekgobela, manager of outdoor advertising in the City’s planning department, said the City was losing millions of rand every year to illegal outdoor advertising. “The City is now getting tough on several offending companies, including top international brands in a new drive to avert loss of revenue, and possibly recoup some of the lost revenue as well as ensure compliance,” Sekgobela said.
He said as part of the process, the City would embark on an audit to verify which outdoor advertising and billboards were legal and which were not. This would provide a clear indication of how much revenue the City was losing in application and rental fees.
Lyn Jones, marketing manager at Continental Outdoor Media said there was a need to create awareness in the community regarding the unlawful posting of advertising posters on municipal property such as electrical boxes and traffic signs.
“The current spate of unlawful fly-posters provides these unlawful advertisers with unjustified enrichment …The subject matter of some of these advertisers exposes inappropriate messaging – I refer to the penis enlargement fly-posters – to audiences in our communities,” Jones said.
Sekgobela added that with the revised bylaws, the City could now institute civil claims against the offenders.
“A task team which includes police, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Hawks and Metro police has now been set up to tackle this problem,” he concluded.
