New crackdown in Johannesburg hits ActionSA, the DA, Fanta, FNB, Coca-Cola, WeBuyCars, and RocoMamas

·19 Sep 2026

Johannesburg’s crackdown on illegal outdoor advertising has expanded to political campaign billboards, with advertising for ActionSA and the Democratic Alliance removed in Soweto.

This follows similar campaigns that have removed billboards of major companies, including FNB, Coca-Cola, Netflix, WeBuyCars, Fanta and RocoMamas.

The Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) continued its enforcement operation on 16 September 2026, removing outdoor advertising structures that it said contravene the City of Johannesburg’s bylaws.

The latest operation was led by MMC for Economic Development Nomoya Mnisi and MMC for Development Planning Sibongile Mgcina.

“Illegal outdoor advertising is not just a compliance issue. It also impacts municipal revenue, the management of public spaces, and fair business practices,” they said.

Among the billboards removed in Soweto were advertisements linked to the 2026 Local Government Elections.

The DA billboard promoted Helen Zille as mayor under the slogan “Get Joburg Working For All”, while the ActionSA billboard promoted Herman Mashaba for mayor with the slogan “Let’s Do It Again”.

ActionSA has challenged the removal, alleging that the decision was politically motivated.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the removal demonstrated that Mashaba and the party were a threat to the ANC in Johannesburg.

“The ANC is being rejected across the city for its prolific failures that have driven the city into the ground,” he said. Beaumont also questioned the role played by the MMCs in the operation.

“The fact that this event was led by an ANC MMC, and not municipal officials, is a clear demonstration of what was the driving decision behind this removal,” he said.

He claimed that the ANC ward councillor in the area had been “the chief protagonist” behind the campaign to remove the billboard.

ActionSA said it was investigating whether the billboard site, which is owned by a private company, complied with the city’s regulations.

Major companies also hit

“The courts have explicitly and repeatedly ruled that the city cannot remove billboards without a valid court order obtained by the city,” Beaumont said.

“It was verified today that no such court order was obtained in relation to the ActionSA billboard.”

ActionSA also alleged that the billboard was damaged during its removal and said it was considering legal action, including an urgent spoliation order, criminal charges and a complaint to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).

“These latter legal components are important because the billboard was maliciously damaged during its removal,” Beaumont said.

The JPC’s latest action follows a wider campaign against unauthorised outdoor advertising across Johannesburg.

In July, it removed an unauthorised FNB billboard on the N1 highway and a GWM Haval H6 billboard along Malibongwe Drive.

Other recent operations have targeted advertising from Coca-Cola, Netflix, Fanta and RocoMamas, while WeBuyCars has also had advertising structures removed.

The JPC said businesses were among the primary offenders and encouraged advertisers to obtain the necessary council approvals before putting up outdoor advertising structures.

Johannesburg’s battle against illegal billboards is not new. The city tightened its Outdoor Advertising and Billboards bylaws about a decade ago and has stepped up enforcement to address lost municipal revenue.

Jack Sekgobela, manager of outdoor advertising in the City’s Planning Department, previously said that Johannesburg was losing millions of rand each year due to illegal advertising.

“The outdoor advertising and billboards by-laws clearly do not allow for illegal billboards to be put up without the city’s permission,” he said.

JPC CEO Musah Makhunga said the outdoor advertising industry had previously generated only about R4 million a year for the city. After enforcement was intensified, collections increased substantially.

“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 are now approaching R100 million in revenue.”

Makhunga said the increase highlighted significant revenue leakage in the city’s outdoor advertising portfolio.

“This is money that rightfully belongs to the City of Johannesburg to support service delivery,” he said.

He added that enforcement would continue as the JPC targets areas where illegal advertising structures are still being erected.

“We will continue pushing hard because there are still areas where illegal outdoor advertising is mushrooming,” Makhunga said.

He said the additional revenue could help fund municipal priorities, including infrastructure maintenance and repairing potholes.