The City of Johannesburg wishes to clarify the circumstances surrounding the removal of a banner illegally erected by Solidarity or its agents along the M1 motorway, as well as the subsequent urgent High Court application launched by Solidarity. Over recent days, several incorrect claims have circulated regarding the reasons behind the City’s removal of the banner.
The City emphasises that this action was taken solely due to non-compliance with the Outdoor Advertising By-Laws, 2009. These by-laws require any organisation wishing to erect, install, or display outdoor advertising on City-owned property to apply for and obtain formal approval. No such application was received from Solidarity, and the banner was installed without permission, in direct contravention of municipal regulations.
City officials acted strictly within their legal mandate to enforce the City’s by-laws. The decision was routine, administrative, and unrelated to the upcoming G20 Summit. Any suggestion that the removal was politically motivated or influenced by external events is entirely unfounded.
Despite this clear breach of the law, Solidarity launched an urgent application before the Gauteng Division of the High Court seeking the reinstatement or return of the banner. In the interests of avoiding protracted litigation and unnecessary public expenditure, the City—after consulting its legal representatives—offered to return the banner on the simple condition that it is not re-installed until Solidarity complied with the by-law requirements. Solidarity rejected this reasonable offer and further demanded that the City concede to unlawful conduct, a request the City firmly declined.
Following the City’s filing of its answering papers, which highlighted several deficiencies in Solidarity’s application, Solidarity approached the City on 17 November 2025 proposing that the matter be removed from the court roll and the banner be collected from City offices. Solidarity also abandoned its request for the City to admit wrongdoing. The City accepted this proposal, which was effectively identical to the initial offer made on 14 November 2025.
The City of Johannesburg remains committed to upholding the rule of law and enforcing its by-laws consistently and transparently, regardless of the party involved. All entities and individuals are expected to comply with municipal regulations, and the City will continue to act where these are violated.