Illegal billboard outside Bryanston Shopping Centre removed in city crackdown on non-compliant advertising

After more than a year of sustained pressure from Bryanston residents and their ward councillor, Lynda Shackelford, the illegal billboard towering over the corner of Winnie Mandela and Ballyclare drives outside Bryanston Shopping Centre was finally removed on January 27.

The removal was carried out in a joint enforcement operation by the City of Johannesburg, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and City Power.

The removal follows months of public outrage over the structure, which was erected without approval near the shopping centre and became a symbol of what residents described as unchecked illegal advertising, by-law failures and municipal neglect.

City of Johannesburg spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said the Bryanston operation formed part of a broader city-wide crackdown on illegal outdoor advertising, particularly digital billboards drawing electricity unlawfully from the city’s network.

Read more: Hurlingham ward councillors take action against illegal outdoor advertising

“Illegal power, illegal signs, the City of Johannesburg moves decisively against non-compliant outdoor advertising,” Modingoane said.

He explained that digital billboards were a key focus due to their high electricity demand and the growing prevalence of illegal and unsafe power connections, which pose risks to infrastructure and surrounding communities and amount to electricity theft.
“While the operation addressed a range of non-compliant outdoor advertising, digital billboards were a key focus due to their high electricity demand and the increasing prevalence of illegal and unsafe power connections.

“These connections place the city’s electrical infrastructure at risk, endanger surrounding communities, and constitute electricity theft. The operation identified multiple serious contraventions, including advertising structures not registered on the city’s system.”

The city also identified a large, non-compliant advertising structure on private property. While the entire structure could not be removed, portions were dismantled to enforce compliance and mitigate risk.
Modingoane reiterated that compliance with municipal by-laws is mandatory, warning that enforcement action will escalate against repeat offenders.

Also read: Calls for intervention as Bryanston is wrapped in outdoor advertising

“Illegal outdoor advertising and unlawful electricity use undermine public safety, damage municipal infrastructure, and deprive the city of revenue required for service delivery.

“Outdoor advertising in Johannesburg must be lawful, safe and fully compliant, or it will be removed.”

Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackelford, who has led the fight against illegal billboards in Bryanston for years, welcomed the removal but said serious questions remain unanswered.

“Although I’m very glad and very happy to see the structure come down on the corner of Ballyclare and Winnie Mandela, my concern is that it was up for over a year,” Shackelford said.

She stressed that the billboard was erected illegally despite repeated interventions. “It was put up without wayleaves, without documentation, even after vehicles and tools were impounded. What are the consequences now for the person who put the sign up and for the construction team who carried out the work?”

Shackelford warned that the Bryanston sign is only one of many. “I have other signs in my ward that have been up since before my term began in 2018, and they are still standing. I hope this is the first of many.”

Her biggest concern, she said, is financial accountability. “How does the city recoup the money these companies made while operating illegally? That revenue should have gone to the city if the billboard was legal. How do we get that money back?”

She called for a stronger JMPD by-law enforcement presence on the ground and a dedicated task team to proactively target illegal structures across Johannesburg.

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