Even worse though, there is this amazingly fancy huge electronic billboard and then all around it (like most streets here) everything is, if not messy from litter, just generally scruffy, unkept plants / grass, weeds growing on the verge of the road, streets not swept, etc.
Technically, the depressing mess is the fault of the local government which is generally incompetent, but considering that they already charge these billboard companies for the rights to show these adverts there, they could just make another part of the deal for the rights is that the billboard companies are obligated to ensure that part of the road is kept neat.
It wouldn't be the primary reason for the brain drain here, but definitely just one more reason that people give up on the country.
(The reasons why skilled middle-class people are fleeing include: Crime, corruption, constant load shedding (it's been better as of late, but it remains to be seen if it's gone for good), we pay a significant amount of income tax, and then also 15% VAT on practically everything (on top of the import fees for most things). Despite the amount of taxes the middle class pays, government education, healthcare and policing are not to be relied on, so we also need to pay for private versions of those too. The bottom line is we get terrible value for money for the taxes we pay.
I consider my taxes to be largely charity to the majority of the population which is in poverty and don't pay taxes, so I do feel absolutely aggrieved with the apathy, incompetence or corruption of our government which results in very little of that money being used where it should be.)