By Tihan van der Walt | 13 November 2026
The South African Weather Service's Rudzani Malala has said that "the highveld region, which encompasses the northern Free State, Gauteng and the eastern highveld of Mpumalanga, is well known to be associated with severe storms and the possibility of damaging winds." A 2023 study of South African hail found that "Events are most frequent from mid-November through February and peak in the afternoon, between 13:00 and 17:00 UTC."
Which is why a PVC banner tied to a fence often doesn't see January. Mesh or PVC, then?
PVC is a solid vinyl sheet. It takes dense, bright colour and blocks wind completely, which is great on a wall and terrible on a fence, where it behaves like a sail. Mesh is vinyl with thousands of small holes punched through it, so the wind goes through instead of pulling on the eyelets.
From across the road you'd struggle to tell the print apart. Up close PVC is crisper, since there's material everywhere the ink lands, and mesh has a slight see-through look. Make small text and logos a size bigger on mesh.
Anything big, high or exposed. Palisade and Clearvu fences on main roads, scaffolding, building wraps, construction hoarding, school and sports-field fences, and roughly anything wider than three metres. Because the wind passes through, the eyelets, ties and fence take far less strain.
On a Highveld summer afternoon that's often the difference between a banner that lasts the season and one that's in the neighbour's yard by Friday. Safety officers on building sites tend to prefer mesh for the same reason.
Indoors, on sheltered walls, under a shop overhang, at expos and at short events where you want sharp colour close up. Flat against brick, with no way for the wind to get behind it, PVC looks better than mesh and lasts well.
A simple test: can the wind get behind it? Then go mesh. A PVC banner screwed flat to a shop wall under the roof in Rosebank will look good for ages. Tie the same banner to a fence on William Nicol and it's a different story.
Per square metre first, then finishing. Mesh or PVC sets the base rate, and hemming, eyelets, pole pockets, reinforcing and rope go on top. Design, installation and removal are usually quoted separately, and bigger orders come down per square metre.
When you compare quotes, ask each supplier the same five things:
A cheap quote with raw edges and an eyelet every metre often costs more by January. Mesh is a bit dearer per square metre than standard PVC, and usually cheaper over its life on an exposed site.
Hemmed edges, eyelets every 30 to 50 centimetres, reinforced corners, and bungee ties rather than cable ties. Tears nearly always start at an eyelet, because that's where the wind load ends up.
Cable ties hold too tight, so in a gust one eyelet takes the full pull and rips. Bungees give a bit. Tension the banner evenly, because a banner that's tight on one side flaps on the other. Wind slits in PVC help a little, but they don't turn it into mesh and they look scruffy. And go and look at it after the first big storm: one loose eyelet on Monday is a torn banner by the weekend.
Months rather than years, in full Highveld sun and storms, depending on the material, the finishing, the install and the exposure. Mesh with good finishing lasts noticeably longer in exposed spots.
Sun fades colours even when the wind doesn't win, and reds and yellows go first, so a red logo on a north-facing fence turns pinkish sooner than you'd like. Hail is the other risk. The 2023 hail study notes that hail events "are most frequent from mid-November through February", and that on "28 November 2013" one Gauteng event caused a "total loss ZAR 1.4 billion". For year-round branding, a proper signboard is the better buy.
Often, yes. The City's outdoor advertising page says that if you put up "an advertising sign or hoarding without having the application approved, an enforcement officer is entitled to enter your property and order construction to stop immediately." It adds that "A court order could even be obtained for the structure to be removed, at your expense, and you would be liable for legal costs as well", and that "In serious cases, you could be fined or sent to prison."
This isn't legal advice. Check with the City, or ask your installer, before a banner goes on a road-facing fence.
Big, simple and readable from a moving car. One message, a short headline, your logo, a phone or WhatsApp number, and strong contrast. A roadside banner gets two or three seconds of attention, and if it can't be read at 60 km/h it's wallpaper.
Keep the main message to seven words or fewer. Use a number people can remember. Dark on light or light on dark, never pastel on pastel. Then print it on A4, stick it on the far wall and see what you can still read. If the banner is part of a bigger refresh, rebranding on a budget covers what to sort out first.
Mesh for exposed, windy spots like fences, scaffolding and roadsides. PVC for sheltered walls and indoors.
Slightly, up close. From normal distance most people can't tell. Go a size bigger on text and logos.
Per square metre by material, plus finishing such as hemming and eyelets. Design and installation are often extra.
Every 30 to 50 cm outdoors, with reinforced corners.
Often. The City warns that without approval "an enforcement officer is entitled to enter your property and order construction to stop immediately."
A banner is cheap. Reprinting and reinstalling it three times isn't. Tell us the size, the spot and the message, and we'll sort it.
Need banners that stay up?
MinuteSteak is one of the big players in South African digital marketing and branding, with about ten years of design and print work for clients including EasiGrass Group, SANParks and Cobra and Grohe Taps. Linbro Park, Sandton, by appointment only.
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