The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has been removing illegally erected advertising billboards throughout the city, including those of prominent companies WeBuyCars, Jeep, and Engen.
The removals, coordinated by the Joburg Property Company (JPC), in partnership with City Power and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), have been implemented for months.
However, these efforts have since escalated significantly, forming part of a widespread revenue-recovery and compliance drive.
Previously, the city would issue warnings to the billboard owners, but has since shifted its strategy towards aggressively removing unauthorised advertising and structures.
The initial crackdown on illegal outdoor advertising started years ago, when the city first stepped up its efforts to curb the problem.
At first, the programme targeted offenders directly, which included large corporations, media companies, and billboard owners, by laying charges and civil claims against them.
The city explained that illegal outdoor advertising in Johannesburg had been classified as a serious crime, which it saw in the same light as building hijackings.
It noted that this approach proved ineffective, failing to prevent companies from erecting said billboards without the appropriate authorisation.
Previous city assessments estimated that up to 78% of all outdoor advertising in Johannesburg was non-compliant, highlighting the scale of the problem.
The city’s Executive Director for Development Planning, Eric Raboshakga, expressed deep concern that this isn’t just the work of isolated rogue players.
Instead, evidence emerged of an organised network that forged permits, resorted to bribery, and even used physical intimidation tactics to keep their boards up.
The city stepped up its law enforcement efforts last year.
“Our operations against illegal billboards reflect a firm stance against non-compliance and enforcing by-laws,” said Joburg Property Company CEO Musah Makhunga.
He added that the operation, which was launched in December 2025, will continue until all outdoor advertisers are compliant.
Cracking down on major brands
In recent months, the crackdown has affected several well-known companies, including MTN, Absa, WeBuyCars, Jeep, Engen, and Savanna.
As part of its efforts, the city has started naming and shaming companies whose illegal and non-compliant billboards it is removing, and posting photos of them on social media.
The City of Johannesburg did not clarify whether the companies mentioned were aware that their branding appeared on illegal billboards, as a media agency may have been the responsible party.
Makhunga explained that the unauthorised structures don’t simply bypass the city’s application process, but also compromise road safety at major hubs, and “clutter our environment”.
He added that enforcement will intensify to stop revenue leakage to fund critical service delivery, including pothole repairs.
Several removal campaigns have taken place this year, with Makhunga and others showing how they removed the illegal structures.
In March, the city removed Absa and Savanna billboards, which violated the city’s outdoor advertising by-laws, while in May it was WeBuyCars’s turn.
As a result of these removals, the Joburg Property Company has collected nearly R100 million in revenue since intensifying its crackdown.
According to Makhunga, the outdoor advertising industry had contributed only about R4 million annually to the city before the intervention.
“When we started this operation, many media owners came forward to engage with the city and enter into formal agreements,” he said.
“We started from a base of about R4 million per annum, and we are now reaching close to R100 million.”
Makhunga noted that this highlights the significant revenue leakage within the outdoor advertising portfolio.
He also promised to intensify enforcement operations across Johannesburg, considering that there are areas where illegal outdoor advertising continues to thrive.
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