City of Ekurhuleni dismantles 900m² illegal billboard at Gillooly’s Farm

City removes long-standing illegal billboard at Gillooly’s Farm

The City of Ekurhuleni’s Development Planning and Real Estate Department dismantled an illegal billboard at Gillooly’s Farm on 11 May, ending a more than 10-year presence of the structure beside the popular municipal park.

Size, location and who acted

The advertising structure measured 900 square metres and stood at Gillooly’s Farm. The dismantling was carried out by the City of Ekurhuleni’s Development Planning and Real Estate Department.

Why the city acted: regulatory and legal context

City officials said the billboard had been erected illegally and in breach of local rules. According to the application cited by the city, the structure should have been sited 100m further away from Gillooly’s Farm. The city’s bylaw allows signage up to 81m²; the removed billboard was 900m².

The municipal legal team said the billboard was placed in the incorrect locality and the city has pursued by-law enforcement and legal action in response to non-compliance.

Officials’ statements

City of Ekurhuleni Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza described the structure as illegally erected and warned others:

“When you erect an illegal structure and refuse to take it down, and then take us to court, we end up spending over R2 million just on legal fees, pursuing cases through various courts, including demolition and other related costs. We will have to ensure that we recover that money from the responsible party. We are issuing a warning to all others erecting illegal billboards that our teams are on the way. If you do not comply, we are on top of you. It does not matter who you are.”

MMC for Development Planning and Real Estate Nomadlozi Nkosi said the billboard owner was earning about R200 000 every month from the structure and was not paying revenue to the city. Nkosi said:

“They don’t pay any revenue to the city; the money is for themselves. The city has lost a lot of money. That is the reason we are removing this thing because each and every time we pleaded with them to come forward so the city would assist them to comply, but they didn’t.”

Ward 20 Councillor Jill Humphreys, who has campaigned against the billboard for years, welcomed its removal, calling it a relief:

“Since my very early days in this job, I’ve been fighting this. I stood in front of the grader when they were putting it in, and he would’ve been quite happy to go over me. That is the sort of person that we are dealing with.”

On the day of the dismantling Humphreys also described the structure as a “disgusting edifice coming down.”

Financial and enforcement fallout

Mayor Xhakaza noted the city has incurred significant legal and demolition costs pursuing the matter and said the municipality will seek to recover those costs from the responsible party. The matter has involved multiple court processes, according to the city.

Advice for residents and businesses affected

Residents and businesses in the Bedfordview–Edenvale area who are affected by the removal or have queries about outdoor advertising and municipal by-laws are advised to contact their ward councillors or the City of Ekurhuleni’s Development Planning and Real Estate Department for guidance on compliance and any potential local impacts.

Outdoor advertisers are reminded by city officials that advertising is a regulated process and that failure to follow the city’s procedures can lead to enforcement action, legal costs and removal of structures.

Local reaction and next steps

Ward councillors thanked the city’s legal team for following through on the case. The Development Planning and Real Estate Department said it will continue to act on similar by-law breaches.