Johannesburg to return ‘Welcome to the most race-regulated country in the world’ banner

The City of Johannesburg (COJ) will return Solidarity’s 70-meter-long banner reading “Welcome to the most race-regulated country in the world” following a settlement agreement reached through the Gauteng Division of the High Court.

The banner was removed last week shortly after being erected along the M1 highway.

According to the City, officials acted in accordance with the Outdoor Advertising By-Laws, 2009, noting that no formal application had been submitted for the banner.

The COJ said that the removal was due to non-compliance with municipal by-laws, and any suggestion that the timing of the G20 summit influenced the decision is incorrect.

According to Solidarity, it had a legal contract with the advertising agency. The agency rents advertising space from the metro, and Solidarity, in turn, rented from the agency.

“We have met all the requirements. We are now going to get our banner back, and we want our money back. We are also going ahead with the campaign,” said Dr Dirk Hermann, Chief Executive of Solidarity. 

The City also noted that it initially offered to return the banner on the condition that it would not be reinstalled.

Solidarity initially rejected the offer, requesting a concession from the City that its actions were unlawful.

After further discussions, Solidarity ultimately agreed to collect the banner from the City’s offices.

Solidarity to continue campaign

Solidarity maintains that it had a legal agreement with an advertising agency that rents space from the City, and that all requirements were met.

The union says it is finalising arrangements with the agency to recover costs and plans to continue its campaign, which includes 38 additional billboards in Johannesburg.

Solidarity’s leadership has argued that the banner was removed because of its message, which they say highlights ongoing racial regulation in South Africa, which government has denied.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said in a post on X that the “anti-transformists” must be defeated, and a photo of the banner was published.

Mgcini Tshwaku, Johannesburg Public Safety MMC, responded to Lesufi’s post with a video showing the banner being removed.

The banner’s removal sparked debate, with critics questioning potential limits on free speech and others pointing to the message’s racial sensitivity.

The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) said that it enforced the removal under the City’s advertising by-laws, which allow the City to remove non-compliant, unsafe, or unsuitable advertising on municipal property.