Business

Crackdown in Johannesburg hits WeBuyCars, Coca-Cola, Netflix, MTN, Absa, Rocomamas, KFC, Fanta, Smirnoff, and Lesaka

Daily Investor • 9 September 2026

The City of Johannesburg’s crackdown on illegal billboards in 2026 has affected many top companies, including WeBuyCars, Absa, Netflix, Coca-Cola, Smirnoff, and Fanta.

Many other companies have also been hit by the outdoor advertising blitz in recent months, including Changan, Lesaka, Rocomamas, Jeep, Engen, and Dis-Chem.

The Johannesburg Property Company, which manages its immovable property portfolio, which includes outdoor advertising sites, explained the crackdown.

In 2020, the City of Johannesburg said that illegal advertising signs tarnished its reputation and violated the rules.

At the time, the Johannesburg Property Company expressed concerns about the heightened level of illegality in the outdoor advertising space.

“We’re concerned with the lack of accountability by key industry stakeholders in ensuring that advertisements are placed on legal sites,” it said.

“We’re now calling for all media and property owners to collaborate with the city in making sure that we eradicate illegality in the outdoor advertising space.”

It engaged brand owners, media owners, and advertising agencies to educate the market about the processes and legislation governing outdoor advertising.

However, this collaborative effort did not work, which forced the City of Johannesburg to launch its “No to Illegal Outdoor Advertising” campaign in December 2025.

The campaign is led by City Manager Floyd Brink, alongside the Joburg Property Company, City Power, and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department.

Over the last nine months, they have dismantled numerous billboards from many top brands and posted details of their campaign online.

Some of the removed billboards had previously been disconnected from the City Power electricity grid two weeks ago due to illegal connections.

“The City’s crackdown on illegal outdoor advertising has cast a spotlight on major companies and well-known brands,” it said in February 2026.

The brands affected included Dis-Chem, WeBuyCars, Absa, Netflix, Coca-Cola, Smirnoff, Fanta, Naked, Rocomamas, Jeep, Engen, Jackpot City, and eTV.

Continued action against illegal outdoor advertising in Johannesburg

Over the last week, the Johannesburg Property Company has continued its action against illegal outdoor advertising on Witkoppen Road and in the city centre.

Yesterday, it removed a Changan billboard, saying it targeted a “repeat offender who has continued to erect illegal advertising structures despite previous enforcement action”.

Five days ago, Johannesburg Property Company CEO Musah Makhunga said teams dismantled an unapproved Lesaka billboard that violated municipal regulations.

“The billboard did not comply with outdoor advertising by-laws or emergency management services compliance standards,” he said.

“This billboard was blocking building windows and presented a major fire hazard. We will continue pushing hard because illegal outdoor advertising is still mushrooming.”

Makhunga added that revenue collected through proper compliance will help the city address critical service delivery challenges, including infrastructure maintenance.

There has already been a significant improvement in revenue collection due to the City of Johannesburg’s “No to Illegal Outdoor Advertising” campaign.

The City of Johannesburg Municipality collected R100 million in revenue within a few months after intensifying its crackdown.

“We started from a base of about R4 million per annum and are now approaching R100 million,” Makhunga said in a press statement.

“This demonstrates that there was significant revenue leakage within the outdoor advertising portfolio, money that rightfully belongs to the city.”

He added that they have met with several media owners who have come forward to declare their structures and begin settling outstanding payments.

“They are also committing to comply with municipal by-laws when erecting outdoor advertising billboards,” said Makhunga.

He said that they will continue to intensify enforcement operations to ensure that all outdoor advertising complies with municipal regulations.

“This increase reflects ongoing efforts to ensure adherence to the City’s Outdoor Advertising By-Laws and improve revenue collection.”