Municipality sits back as advertising boards pile up

When Engel & Völkers Potchefstroom started marketing their estate agency over 17 years ago, the head of traffic told them their advertising boards should be three metres from any stop signs or robots and should not obstruct the view of the driver.

With many competing estate agencies in Potchefstroom, there are over 100 boards across town, and the number continues to grow.

After months of trying to ignore the number of advertising boards, a resident from Vyfhoek felt it was getting out of hand.
“The boards seem to be getting bigger and bigger but only use the font on a small space; it’s just unnecessary.
They are covering the green strips in our town,” resident David Macnab said.
When the Herald asked the municipality for comment, the acting manager of communication Jeanette Tshite said no one knows who is responsible for that department.

Macnab’s concern is that the boards will soon turn the small town into an industrial-looking area.
“If competing companies respond in kind, and other companies follow suit, we fear that our town is destined to lose all its character to super-sized, tasteless advertising boards,” Macnab said.

“A number have sprung up in Hennie Bingle Street, Govan Mbeki Drive near the Duet church, and on MC Roode Street, just past the Mozart Street intersection,” Macnab explained.
Along with other residents, Macnab says he finds the ads intrusive eyesores and wonders how the municipality could allow such unsightly objects.

Theo Volschenk, founder and principal of Theo Eiendomme estate agency, agreed wholeheartedly that some of the big billboards are unnecessary but said their agency was not guilty.
“We are open for discussion as we also want the town to be neat and tidy,” he said.
The ward councillor, Werner van Onselen, confirms that more and more large advertising boards have gone up in Potchefstroom over the last few months, especially in Ward 23.

“As a ward committee, we have tried to assist the residents and the companies responsible for erecting the boards as best we can,” Van Onselen said. He said he had gone as far as speaking to most business owners to rectify the issue.
“I sent company owners the bylaws on advertisements within the municipality and all the relevant information and processes needed for compliance.

“The municipality is responsible for enforcing the law in cases of non-compliance,” Van Onselen explained.
He said he had received several complaints from residents, stating that some of these boards obstruct their field of vision when driving.

“This is a great concern and an ongoing battle for ward councillors as service delivery in the municipality deteriorates even further,” he said. “Ward councillors must work harder to get the most basic bylaws enforced and services rendered to their communities.

This lack of law enforcement has now become a safety issue,” he added.
Volschenk says the municipality allows estate agents to put up 20 advertising boards per address, but theirs only uses six, even though it may look like a lot.

“Furthermore, the property market in Potchefstroom is very important, and we, as an agency, want to give each client the best service possible,” he added.
The owner of Engel & Völkers, Carl Venter, said they have the most listings in Potch and, therefore, are required to fulfil their promise to clients, one being continuous advertising. However, he assured the public the intention was never to harm the town.
The Herald also asked Remax, Legacy and the BIG real estate for comment but did not receive any at the time of print.