Govan Mbeki Municipality to clamp down on advertisements that do not comply with its by-laws
Workers will be posting stickers on all signs that do not conform to the municipality’s requirements, who do not have official approval and who are in terms of the SAMOACK (South African Manual for Outdoor Advertising Control) not placed correctly.
HIGHVELD – Illegal advertisers will from now on be facing civil claims.
The Govan Mbeki Municipality on its Facebook page warned perpetrators that illegal advertising boards and signs will no longer be tolerated.
According to the warning the municipality has toughened its approach to its Outdoor Advertising and Billboards by-laws and embarked on a clean-up campaign on 22 October.
“The enforcement of the municipal by-laws is prioritised and will be strictly enforced.”
The community is warned that the planning department will be removing standing tree stumps, painted signs and illegal fixtures to traffic signals.
Workers will be posting stickers on all signs that do not conform to the municipality’s requirements, who do not have official approval and who are in terms of the SAMOACK (South African Manual for Outdoor Advertising Control) not placed correctly. The wrongdoers include top international brands.
The clamping down on illegal advertisements is “a new drive to avert loss of revenue and possibly recoup some of the lost revenue as well as ensure compliance.”
The municipality also aims to conduct an audit of every sign to verify which ones are legal and which ones are not.
This will provide a clear indication of exactly how much revenue the municipality is losing in application and rental fees.
The municipality warns that offenders who deliberately ignore notices and make no effort to seek compliance of the sign and position, will now be held accountable and signs, posters trailer be confiscated.
“Through the intensified campaign the existing by-law will be reviewed, the municipality can now go the civil route and institute civil claims against the offenders.
“The municipality can also lay criminal charges against the landlord of the premises on which the billboard is erected, the advertising agency, the company being advertised, and its directors and shareholders.
“The Outdoor Advertising and Billboards by-laws do not allow for illegal billboards to be put up without the municipality’s permission. “
In the statement on Facebook, the municipality pointed out that wrap advertising signs in residential areas are illegal.
“The number of advertising signs that visually degrade the streetscape character or cause visual clutter and information overload will be identified and action taken.
“Any sign or board that may affect sight on the roads will be removed without notice.
“The approval process for Outdoor Advertising has been streamlined and as such there are currently no applications in the system to be processed or approved.”
A task team which includes officials from the departments of Town Planning, Building Control Traffic and Community Services will monitor and take action where and when required.
The municipality indicated that the cluttering and of signs on erf boundaries, intersections, signs on traffic signals and lamp-posts will be marked as illegal, and if not removed by the company, GMM will proceed to remove the signs at the cost of the advertisers.
Offenders will be given seven to 14 days to remove their illegal signs. “Once a company ignores the notice, the case is referred to the legal department for a civil case to be heard in court.
“We are also drawing up a list of the illegal signs, which we will hand over to the South African Revenue Services to check if they pay tax.”
The task team will go from town to town to point out the culprits.
