The City of Johannesburg’s Outdoor Advertising assistant director Samuel Maluleka believes the proposed by-laws will help the industry generate sound revenue while bringing order.
Maluleka said this at the Midrand Fire Station on October 11, after a delayed commencement from 17:00 to 18:00 due to load-shedding.
About 25 people attended the presentation by the City which started in Region A and will also be taken to other regions within the city.
He said the new by-laws will provide transparency in its regulatory affairs and enable predictability by all role players and stakeholders in a bid to foster balanced investment drives.
“This speaks to the City’s administration of applications that is not biased, but fair and crystal clear on its decision on every application. It will also enable outdoor advertisement order, worthy of its investment and generate revenues for all parties including the City, stakeholders and transformational,” Maluleka told delegates.
He said the City was regulating outdoor advertising affairs using the 2009 by-laws which have been in operation for more than a decade now and as such were deemed outdated.
According to the Rationalisation of Local Government Affairs Act, Act 10 of 1998, the current by-laws are outdated, and it is required that a by-laws must be reviewed within a 10 year period.
Maluleka said the drafted by-laws were aimed at addressing new trends in the outdoor advertising fraternity such as Gantry advertising signs, Estate Agents Boards and approval of posters which were not included in the previous by-laws.
Midrand’s Vorna Valley has been plagued with illegal posters since 2018, which resident Mark Straw, described as an “eyesore.”
Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe said bigger fines were a solution to illegal outdoor advertising. “Applying through the City’s outdoor advertising [department] was important so that advertisers can pay for their space because this is income for the City to use for much-needed service delivery purposes elsewhere,” said Deppe.
She said illegal advertisers were warned against putting up signs and boards on city assets such as robots, stop streets and trees.
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